Maharashtra cabinet expansion today, over 30 ministers to take oath
The much-awaited Maharashtra cabinet expansion under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will take place on Sunday. The oath-taking ceremony will be held in Nagpur, where 30-32 ministers will be sworn in, official sources told PTI. The expansion comes just days ahead of the winter session of the state legislature, which will begin on Monday (December 16) in Nagpur.
Fadnavis's cabinet formation: A balancing act
Fadnavis was sworn in as CM on December 5, along with Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar as his deputies. The Maharashtra council of ministers can have a maximum of 43 members, including the CM. The Mahayuti alliance had won a landslide victory in the recent assembly elections, winning 230 out of 288 seats.
Mahayuti alliance's victory in assembly elections
The BJP led with 132 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (57) and NCP (41). According to PTI sources, the BJP is expected to get 20-21 ministerial positions, while Shiv Sena and NCP will get 11-12 and 9-10 berths. While Fadnavis is eager to finalize the cabinet by Saturday, negotiations have been delayed due to Shinde's demands for key portfolios, including Home. According to BJP leaders, he is also unwilling to comply with the saffron party's condition of removing corrupt names.
Cabinet formation delayed due to portfolio negotiations
Fadnavis has finalized a list of 22 ministers after consulting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding power-sharing and government priorities. "The final approval will come from the BJP central leadership. The NCP and Shiv Sena names will be finalized by the leaders of the respective parties," he told the media.
