New Delhi: Amid the ongoing tussle over the allocation of portfolios to the newly sworn-in ministers in the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP coalition in Maharashtra, NCP leader Ajit Pawar, along with Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, traveled to Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior BJP leaders on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI.
Talking to the reporters, Patel said that the meeting with Shah and other BJP leaders was a "courtesy call" as he and Ajit Pawar had not met them formally since joining the ruling alliance in Maharashtra.
Notably, the conflict regarding portfolios has continued since the unexpected induction of Ajit Pawar and eight other NCP legislators as ministers on July 2, following a split within the Sharad Pawar-led party.
Pawar's nephew Ajit and senior leaders Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Sunil Tatkare walked out with a major chunk of MLAs and MLCs of the NCP, staking claim to the name and election symbol of the party.
As per the agency, NCP has been insisting on the crucial finance and water resources portfolios, which the Shiv Sena is learnt to have opposed strongly.
Patel said there would be some issues in the allocation of portfolios as the same had been distributed by the BJP and Shiv Sena when they formed the government last year.
"Now each of them will have to give up some portfolios to accommodate us," he told reporters on Wednesday night.
According to sources, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis disclosed that the decision on the new portfolios of the state cabinet may be made by evening or tomorrow. There might also be a possible expansion of the cabinet in the near future.
Patel said he and Ajit Pawar will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 18 when a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents has been convened by the BJP.