Mumbai: Nearly two weeks after the Maharashtra oath ceremony, the cabinet portfolios were announced Saturday, with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Chief Minister in the last government, landing three ministries – Urban Development, Housing and Public Works – but not the Home portfolio, which he was reportedly keen on. Ajit Pawar, the second Deputy Chief Minister, was assigned the key Finance Ministry and State Excise portfolio.   Chief Minister Devenda Fadnavis will hold home, energy excluding renewable energy, law and judiciary, general administration, information and publicity and departments/subjects not allowed to any other minister .https://www.ndtv.com/video/devendra-fadnavis-keeps-home-eknath-shinde-gets-3-maharashtra-ministries-876528 The portfolios were allocated after the weeklong winter session of the state Legislature ended earlier in the day. The strength of the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet is 42 against 43 permissible under the legislative norms.   Hours before the big announcement, state minister Girish Mahajan said that “he believes a unanimous decision has been reached” between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his Deputies over portfolio allocation.   The Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won over 230 of the state’s 288 assembly seats, while opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of Congress, Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena faction and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction could win only 46 seats.   Mr Fadnavis and his deputies – Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar – were sworn in on December 5, and 39 ministers were inducted ahead of the Winter Session on December 15.   Opposition parties alleged that the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature was held only for formality as ministers couldn’t resolve issues of farmers and others in the absence of portfolios. Taking a swipe at the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, Uddhav Thackeray party leader Aaditya Thackeray today termed the delay in portfolio allocation “a joke”, saying that ministers have gotten their perks but no responsibility.   “All ministers got bungalows and cars but no responsibility. A joke is going on. No one wants to serve,” he told news   agency ANI.