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Maharashtra draws blank in reshuffle
Sunday October 28, 2012 07:46:27 PM,
IANS
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Mumbai: The
Maharashtra unit of the Congress, with 24 members in parliament,
has drawn complete blank in reshuffle of the council of ministers
effected by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday.
State MPs had been hopeful that some of them would be chosen to
join the central ministries. The state Congress has 17 MPs in the
Lok Sabha and seven in the Rajya Sabha.
State Congress president Manikrao Thakre put up a brave face in
the face of the latest developments even as he sought to downplay
the lack of a stronger representation to Maharashtra in the
central government.
"These things keep happening given political and other ground
realities at the national level. At times, Maharashtra may get
more or less, but that does not mean the centre's attention
towards this state is any less," Thakre told IANS.
In view of certain recent political developments, he said, states
like West Bengal or Karnataka may have got more visible
representation.
"However, Maharashtra already has other members in the cabinet
with important portfolios. So it should not be construed as
ignoring this state," Thakre assured.
In the past couple of days, there was strong speculation of Mumbai
getting at least one cabinet rank minister and another two
ministers of state or as ministers with independent charge.
Among the contenders from Mumbai were former minister of state for
home at the centre and six-time MP Gurudas Kamat as a probable
replacement to the late Vilasrao Deshmukh, who passed away in
August. The other hopefuls were three-time MP Sanjay Nirupam,
Priya Dutt and Eknath Gaikwad.
Before the previous reshuffle in July 2011, Maharashtra Congress
had four cabinet rank ministers and two junior ministers from
Mumbai.
After the last reshuffle, Kamat had declined to join the ministry
and announced that he had quit active politics.
This left only city MP Milind Deora to continue holding the Mumbai
flag in the central government, but continuing as a junior
minister even after today's reshuffle.
Besides Deora, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and his colleague Praful
Patel represent the state in the central cabinet.
Two other central ministers -- Rajeev Shukla and Tariq Anwar from
the Congress and NCP respectively -- are Rajya Sabha members from
Maharashtra.
Of the total 48 Lok Sabha MPs from Maharashtra, 17 belong to
Congress, eight to NCP, nine from BJP, 11 from Shiv Sena and three
independents. In the Rajya Sabha, Congress has seven members, NCP
six, BJP and Shiv Sena three each, totalling 19.
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