In an apparent jibe at coalition partner NCP, Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has said that some coalition constituents in Delhi and in the state behave as if they "own" their departments.

"In Delhi, I have experienced coalition governments at close quarters, while in the PMO. I am aware of the difficulties. There is a basic difference between the government in Delhi and the one in Maharashtra. There, one party (Congress) is the dominant partner, while here, both the parties are almost equally stacked," he said.

"I have seen that personalities are important, while working in a coalition. In Delhi, some in the coalition behave as if they are owners of the departments. Here also, the situation is somewhat similar," Chavan said without naming deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar of NCP.

However, asked to name a couple of NCP leaders with whom he gets along very well, Chavan, tried to amend things, saying, "I get along very well with all of them."

"Many a time, there are difficulties in coordination.

However, this is expected in a coalition government," Chavan, who was sworn in as CM on November 11 last year, said during a media interaction here.

However, this is not the first time Chavan has made public the unease in working with the coalition partner. In July, he had said that Congress, agreeing to give the key Home portfolio to NCP, was a "mistake".

"I think it was a mistake. We should have re-looked at it. I don't know of any other coalition government, where the portfolios of Home, Finance and Planning are not with the chief minister," he had said.