nagpur :- No gain for Vidarbha in new ministry

The much-awaited cabinet expansion of Prithviraj Chavan ministry that finally happened on Friday morning in Mumbai did not make much difference to Vidarbha. The numbers were maintained. Like Ashok Chavan, the new chief minister inducted five cabinet ministers and two ministers of state from the region. But two ministers got slightly more important portfolios like environment, water conservation and employment guarantee.

Warora MLA Sanjay Deotale was rewarded for his patience. The fourth-term legislator was lucky to directly get a cabinet berth. The portfolios he got- environment and cultural affairs- were also considered a welcome change from the child and women welfare that Buldhana MLA Subhash Zanak held. The latter was the only cabinet rank minister from the region to be dropped while ex-minister of state Vijay Wadettiwar was also denied another chance. Deotale is from a politically established family and his uncle Dadasaheb Deotale was a powerful minister in Vasantrao Naik ministry.

That Rajendra Mulak of Nagpur would get a berth was certain because of the family relations he enjoys with the new chief minister. He is perhaps the only MLC to find place in the new Chavan ministry. As a minister of state, he gets to work in prime departments of finance and planning, power, irrigation, parliamentary affairs and state excise. He thus emulates his late father Bhau Mulak, who got only one chance as a minister of state. Wadettiwar, who earlier held the same bunch of portfolios as junior minister, was excluded. The Chimur MLA had been engaged in fight for supremacy in Chandrapur district politics crossing swords with Congress ex-MP Naresh Pugalia.

Senior leader and former guardian minister of Nagpur Shivajirao Moghe was retained with the portfolio of social justice cutting short speculation that he would be kept out of the ministry and asked to take over as MPCC chief. However, Nagpur (north) MLA Nitin Raut was not only lucky to get into the new Chavan cabinet but also to get a relatively more important portfolio. He has been given employment guarantee and water conservation. In the outgoing ministry he handled dairy development and animal husbandry.

Ranjit Kamble, a kin of ex-governor the late Prabha Rau, also was repeated though till last moment there was speculation that he might be denied this time. The fact that he recently played a big role in organising a massive public rally addressed by party president Sonia Gandhi at Wardha last month, could have helped. Kamble is now minister of state with new portfolios of public works water supply-sanitation, tourism as well as food and civil supplies.

In the NCP quota, there were no surprises with Anil Deshmukh getting the same assignment of food and civil supplies and Manohar Naik food and drugs administration.