The tripartite coalition government headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has been stitched, but the distribution of portfolios between parties has become a major bone of contention in Maharashtra.
A group of NCP and Congress state legislatures are seeking deputy chief minister and all-important ministries like finance and home.
There is a rift between the two parties over these important ministries with Sharad Pawar and Prithviraj Chavan eyeing for the post.
Sharad Pawar, at any cost, wants to allocate home portfolio to a party colleague, because he is facing charges of having links with international terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.
He is also facing charges of complicity in shielding the D-Company supremo from arrests and sabotaging the Indian intelligence’s efforts in nabbing the Mumbai 1993 bomb blast accused.
The NCP does not want to concede home ministry, if it does, then Sharad Pawar will become a pawn in the hands of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, which will result in needless tensions between the two parties, leading to collapse of the government.
Thackeray was sworn in as the 18th chief minister of Maharashtra on November 28 after putting an end to the political imbroglio in Maharashtra.
The delay in finalising on deputy chief minister allocation is creating tensions between NCP and Congress. The grand old party, in fact, is perturbed over a group of NCP members clamoring for Ajit Pawar to occupy deputy chief minister's gaddi.
Sources say that the Congress does not want to damage the image of the tripartite coalition government by including Ajit Pawar in the ministry. So also, NCP does not want Congress leader Ashok Chavan to occupy in any ministerial seat as he is facing investigation into Adarsh Scam.
If Ajit Pawar does not get deputy chief minister's post, there are chances of him revolting and destablising the government, as he is enjoying the support of at least 21 NCP MLAs, who can bring down the government, just as the disqualified MLAs of Congress and JDS did in Karnataka a few months back.
Also, the inexperience of Thackeray in governance could give a torrid time for him to keep the flock together as it is not in his genes to coordinate, mediate and manage, people.
Experienced leaders like Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar, Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat, may try to dominate over him, brewing tensions between them. Sharad Pawar could fiddle with his ego by calling shots from behind-the-scene in the garb of a de facto head of the government.
Not far behind will be Sonia Gandhi, who has the experience of wielding enormous extra-constitutional powers through National Advisory Committee during a decade's UPA regime at the centre.
So, Thackeray's crown is full of thorns, which can prick to bleed him blue. Period.
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