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Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion: The cabinet expansion of the new state government is underway, over a week after the Chief Minister and Deputy CMs were sworn in.
Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde at the cabinet expansion event in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion: The Cabinet expansion of the new BJP-led Maharashtra government is taking place in Nagpur, with several new faces expected to be inducted into the council of ministers.
BJP’s Chandrashekhar Bawankule was the first to take the oath, followed by Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Chandrakant Patil and NCP’s Hasan Mushrif.
The senior leaders of the Mahayuti alliance are expected to give several new faces the opportunity. “The Mahayuti may drop underperforming ministers, which could include 4 leaders from the Shinde camp, 3 from the BJP, and 2 from the Ajit Pawar faction who were previously ministers but may not retain their positions,” sources told News18.
Sources earlier said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP president JP Nadda held a brief discussion on the cabinet expansion in Maharashtra.
The expansion will take place a day before the commencement of the Winter Session of the Assembly on December 16.
Earlier this week, Fadnavis had met the BJP’s top leadership in the national capital to discuss the Cabinet expansion.
Home Ministry May Go To BJP
Sources had said that the BJP is likely to keep the Home Ministry which was a point of deadlock with Shiv Sena. The Shinde Sena was keen on keeping the Home Department, considering Eknath Shinde was demoted from Chief Minister in the previous government to Deputy CM in the new government.
Sources suggest that the Public Works Department (PWD) and Urban Development (UD) portfolios may be assigned to the Shinde faction. Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar is expected to retain the Finance portfolio.
Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as Chief Minister on December 5, with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar assuming office as his deputies. In the November 20 Assembly elections, the Mahayuti alliance secured a resounding victory, winning 230 out of 288 seats in the state. The BJP led the charge with 132 seats, followed by Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 57 seats, and Pawar’s NCP with 41.
