With important portfolios and six new ministers power centre shifts to Vid


* With six new ministers from the region inducted in Fadnavis Government, Vidarbha has got total four ministers, and four ministers of state
* Of six new ministers, BJP has given five and Shiv Sena has given only one from the region
By Kartik Lokhande 
The most important feature of the first expansion of State Government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is that of a total 20 ministers who were sworn-in on Friday, as many as six are from Vidarbha. It is being seen as a reward to the region that elected BJP candidates from as many as 44 out of total 62 seats, thus contributing immensely to BJP’s coming to power in Maharashtra.
Another interesting feature is that after several decades, the power centre has shifted to Vidarbha in a real sense. Devendra Fadnavis, who hails from Nagpur, is Chief Minister and holds important portfolios like Home and Urban Development. Sudhir Mungantiwar, who hails from Chandrapur district, has got two more important portfolios of Finance and Forest. In the expansion effected on Friday, another MLA from Nagpur district Chandrashekhar Bawankule has been given the significant portfolio of Energy. MLA from Bhandara district Rajkumar Badole is likely to be given Social Justice Department. All of these are pretty important portfolios financially, socially, and politically. After a long gap, Vidarbha has got such a prominence in State Cabinet.
As Fadnavis and Mungantiwar were already sworn-in as ministers, the induction of six new ministers on Friday has raised the number of ministers from Vidarbha region to eight. Of the six ministers inducted on Friday, five are from BJP and one from Shiv Sena. While expanding the cabinet, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has struck a fine social and regional balance.
Shiv Sena, however, gave only one ministerial berth to Vidarbha in Digras MLA Sanjay Rathod, as it could win only four seats in the region. Rathod is Yavatmal district president of Shiv Sena and is a third-term MLA from Digras. The Banjara leader had defeated MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre in 2004 Assembly polls.
As far as BJP is concerned, it has given opportunity to Chandrashekhar Bawankule, third-time MLA from Kamptee in Nagpur district. He started his political career from Panchayat Samiti and rose to Zilla Parishad, and holds quite an influence in rural politics of Nagpur district. He is a former President of Nagpur rural unit of BJP, and currently State General Secretary. He is known for having sharp knowledge of budgetary allocations in various sectors, and is well familiarised with power sector.
Rajkumar Badole from BJP is known as a staunch supporter of Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. He is a second-term MLA from Arjuni Morgaon in Bhandara district. He worked with Water Resources Department before joining politics. He is likely to get the portfolio of Social Justice as Cabinet minister.
BJP has inducted two MLCs from Amravati and Akola districts in the cabinet as Ministers of State. Of these, Pravin Potey (Amravati) is a supporter of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. He is a builder and got elected to Legislative Council in 2012. He runs P R Education Society. Ranjit Patil (Akola) defeated stalwart B T Deshmukh from Amravati Division Teachers’ Constituency and got elected to Legislative Council. His father Vitthalrao Patil also was MLC from Akola-Washim-Buldhana local authorities’ constituency. However, representation to two MLCs from Amravati Division in cabinet, has left the elected MLAs discontent.
Another interesting induction is that of 28-years-old Raje Ambarish Rao Atram, the first-time MLA from Aheri constituency in Gadchiroli district. He is grandson of late Raje Vishveshwarrao Atram, who was MP and President of Nag Vidarbha Andolan Samiti; and son of two-term MLA Satyawanrao Atram. A descendant of Aheri’s royal family, he was a student of Business Law in UK’s Birmingham. 

(05-12-14) 

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