Ajit Pawar, whose mysterious revolt had led to a BJP-led government in Maharashtra for 80 hours, returned on Monday as deputy chief minister in the Uddhav Thackeray cabinet, which was expanded with the induction of 36 ministers. While senior leaders described the expansion of the ministry as “best use of available talent”, Ajit’s appointment as deputy chief minister is being seen as a pragmatic move to provide stability to the government. While Thackeray himself has no administrative experience, the induction of former chief minister Ashok Chavan from the Congress will also add value to the government. The chief minister’s 29-year-old son, Aaditya Thackeray, who became the first from his family to contest an election, has also been sworn in as a cabinet minister. Sources also believe that Aaditya’s presence in the government will act as a countervailing force against the dominance of heavyweights like Ajit and Chavan.

Source: The Telegraph December 31, 2019 01:07 UTC