Maharashtra Government Gears Up for Cabinet Expansion; Oath-Taking in Nagpur on Dec 15
Maharashtra Government Gears Up for Cabinet Expansion; Oath-Taking in Nagpur on Dec 15
The Mahayuti parties have finalized a date for cabinet expansion after reaching a consensus on portfolio allocation, nearly two weeks after the Chief Minister’s swearing-in. The Maharashtra Cabinet expansion will take place on December 15, and the oath-taking ceremony will be held in Nagpur instead of Mumbai. According to reports, around 30 to 32 ministers from all three parties—NCP, BJP, and Shiv Sena—are expected to take their oaths.
The winter session of the Maharashtra state legislature is scheduled to begin in Nagpur, which is the state’s second capital, on December 16. Devendra Fadnavis took the oath as Chief Minister during a significant ceremony in Mumbai on December 5, along with Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar from the NCP, who were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers. The Shiv Sena has frequently mentioned that Shinde deserves a position that matches his importance and has requested the home portfolio, but the BJP has not consented to this. According to sources, the BJP is expected to receive 20 to 21 ministerial positions, while the Shiv Sena is likely to get 11 to 12, and the Nationalist Congress Party may obtain 9 to 10.
The Maharashtra council of ministers can have a maximum of 43 members, including the Chief Minister. In the meantime, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state BJP chief, held individual meetings with Deputy Chief Ministers Shinde and Ajit Pawar on Friday to finalize the cabinet structure.
Intense discussions took place at Pawar’s Deogiri bungalow in South Mumbai, where he met with his party leaders.
In the assembly elections held on November 20, the results announced on November 23 revealed that the Mahayuti coalition achieved a significant victory, securing 230 out of 288 seats in the state. The BJP emerged as the leading party with 132 seats, followed by Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 57 seats and Pawar’s NCP with 41. The process of forming the government has already been quite eventful, with Shinde stepping aside for Fadnavis to take the chief minister role. Initially, Shinde was reluctant to be part of the government and wanted to concentrate on strengthening the party, but he was convinced to accept the position of deputy chief minister.
