Three out, five in for Vid in State Cabinet
   Date :17-Jun-2019

 
Staff Reporter:
 
The Cabinet expansion ahead of forthcoming Legislative Assembly elections is considered to be a political strategy of Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister 
 
In the State Cabinet expansion done on Sunday, Vidarbha region lost three ministers but got five new faces. Thus, the expansion has actually added the number of Vidarbha faces in the State Cabinet. Rajkumar Badole, Social Justice Minister; Pravin Pote-Patil, Minister of State for Industries, Mining, Environment, and Public Works; and Raje Ambarish Atram, Minister of State for Tribal Development, from Vidarbha had to vacate their seats in the Cabinet to pave way for new faces. The Cabinet expansion ahead of forthcoming Legislative Assembly elections is considered to be a political strategy of Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
 
The five new faces from the region sworn-in as Ministers on Sunday include Dr Sanjay Kute from Jalgaon Jamod in Buldhana district, Dr Anil Bonde from Morshi in Amravati district, Prof Ashok Uikey from Ralegaon in Yavatmal district; Tanaji Sawant, who hails from Osmanabad but is Member of Legislative Council from Yavatmal district; and Dr Parinay Fuke, who hails from Nagpur but is currently Member of Legislative Council from Bhandara-Gondia constituency.
 
All of them except Tanaji Sawant, who is from Shiv Sena, are from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Dr Sanjay Kute has been given the portfolio that comprises Labour, Vimukta Jati, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward and Special Backward Class Welfare. Dr Anil Bonde has become Agriculture Minister. Tanaji Sawant is Minister for Water Conservation, and Prof Ashok Uikey is Minister for Tribal Development. Dr Parinay Fuke is Minister of State for Public Works (excluding Public Undertakings), Forest, and Tribal Development.
 
Dr Sanjay Kute is third-time MLA from Jalgaon Jamod constituency, and is known for aggression on the floor of the House in State Legislative Assembly. He is known for aggressively pushing for issues concerning welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Dr Anil Bonde also is known for aggression, and especially for raising the issues concerning farmers. He is second-term MLA from Morshi. Previously, he was an Independent. Later on, he joined BJP and contested on its ticket in 2014 and won with one of the largest margins in Vidarbha.
 
Prof Dr Ashok Uikey is a first-time MLA. He shot to limelight as he defeated Prof Vasant Purke, a senior leader of Congress party and a former Minister. Dr Parinay Fukey is a first-time Member of Legislative Council from Bhandara-Gondia constituency. His rise from being a corporator in Nagpur Municipal Corporation to becoming a legislator has been pretty fast. It all happened in the past few years. He is known for studying the issues in depth. In a short span of time, Dr Fuke has been able to carve his niche and exert his influence in Bhandara-Gondia’s electoral politics. Pravin Pote-Patil, Member of Legislative Council of BJP, hails from Amravati district. As with his resignation, a vacancy was created for the district, Dr Anil Bonde from the same district has been inducted into the State Cabinet.
 
Similarly, after resignation of Rajkumar Badole, BJP MLA from Arjuni Morgaon constituency in Gondia district, Dr Parinay Fuke has been chosen for ministerial berth in Maharashtra Government. Prof Dr Uikey being inducted into the State Cabinet, is seen as a replacement of tribal face after resignation of Raje Ambarish Atram. BJP had secured a big win the Legislative Assembly elections held in 2014. Then, of a total 62 seats in the region, BJP had won an overwhelming 44.
 
Given the party’s performance, BJP decided to have Devendra Fadnavis, MLA from South-West Nagpur in Vidarbha, as the Chief Minister. Apart from Fadnavis, Vidarbha saw Pandurang Phundkar, senior leader from Buldhana district being made Agriculture Minister; Sudhir Mungantiwar, Ballarpur MLA being made Finance and Forest Minister; Chandrashekhar Bawankule from Kamptee in Nagpur district, being made Energy and State Excise Minister. Dr Ranjit Patil, Pravin Pote-Patil, Raje Ambarish Atram also were inducted as Ministers of State. Later on, Phundkar passed away and a vacancy for Vidarbha got created in the State Cabinet. But, it was not filled as the expansion was awaited.