AMID speculation that the imbroglio over the Eknath Shinde cabinet’s expansion and portfolio distribution has reached the Bharatiya Janata Party’s high command, the Nationalist Congress Party (AP) state Chief Sunil Tatkare said he expected the final decision by Thursday evening.

After affecting a split in the party, nine NCP ministers, including Ajit Pawar, were inducted into the Shinde cabinet on July 2. The delay in portfolio allocation has invited the Opposition’s ire. Sources said the BJP’s senior leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah was reportedly in talks with CM Eknath Shinde, Dy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.