Maharashtra Cabinet expansion today: Devendra Fadnavis likely to get home, who else will get berths?

The much-delayed Cabinet expansion of the Eknath Shinde-led government will likely take place at 11 am today, according to several news reports.

The expansion of the two-member Cabinet comes 40 days after Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis assumed office.

Shinde and Fadnavis were sworn in on 30 June after the resignation of Uddhav Thackeray due to a rebellion in the Shiv Sena ranks.

The Shinde-Fadnavis government proved its majority in the Maharashtra Assembly on 4 July.

The two-member Cabinet has had several meetings and taken key decisions, including the revival of stalled projects in the state.

“The Cabinet expansion will take place tomorrow in Mumbai. I cannot divulge any details about it and who will be in the Cabinet," a senior BJP leader told PTI on Monday.

But who will be sworn in? And who will get what portfolio?

Let’s take a closer look:

How many will be inducted?

Sources told Indian Express five ministers from each camp will take oath on Tuesday, while a larger expansion will take place after the Monsoon Session concludes.

A close aide of Shinde told PTI a dozen ministers will take oath at Tuesday’s ceremony, scheduled at Raj Bhavan at 12 pm. The next round of expansion would take place later, the aide added.

“The monsoon session of the state legislature has to be held at the earliest, so we decided to induct 12 legislators in the ministry expansion. Some of those taking the oath on Tuesday would be from the Legislative Council,” the aide said.

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PTI earlier reported that at least 15 new ministers could be inducted into the Maharashtra Cabinet before 15 August.

Who is likely to be inducted? Who will get what?

Sources told News18 the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis likely to get the home portfolio while Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Sudhir Mungantiwar from the saffron party are likely to be inducted into the Cabinet.

Meanwhile, from the Shinde camp, Uday Samant, Dada Bhuse, Sandeepan Bhumre, Sanjay Shirsat and Gulabrao Patil will be inducted, sources further said.

Fadnavis, who was chief minister of the BJP-led government from 2014 to 2019, had to accept the deputy CM’s post on the insistence of the party high command after the BJP backed Shiv Sena rebel Shinde for the top post.

As per The Print, Shinde and Fadnavis settled the details at a meeting Monday, following which Shinde left for a tour of Nanded.

Government sources said Shinde will return to Mumbai at night and is expected to hold a meeting of MLAs from the rebel Shiv Sena camp who are likely to take oath on Tuesday.

Speaking to The Print, a senior MLA from the Shinde camp said “the discussions on how to split important portfolios between the two sides took some time”.

“Aspirations of many former ministers had to be accommodated. The CM and the deputy CM finalised the portfolio distribution at a meeting Monday,” the MLA said.

Fadnavis had previously told reporters, “The expansion of the Maharashtra Cabinet will take place before you can even imagine.”

Top sources in the BJP told News18 one of the reasons for the delay in expansion is the aspirations of the Eknath Shinde group.

While Cabinet berths to those Shiv Sena MLAs who were sitting ministers is decided, there are others who are eyeing some posts and the strategy being adopted to deal with this section is ‘Thanda Kariye’ — cooling down their aspirations — as a delaying tactic.

There is a broad understanding that those who walked out as ministers will get Cabinet berths, sources told News18.

As per News18, Shinde, who reached Nanded today for an official tour, told reporters, “Names have not yet been finalised. (They) Will be finalised later tonight or by tomorrow morning."

Shinde, who emerged as a surprise choice for the top post after managing to take most of Shiv Sena MLAs with him, will have a difficult task to accommodate all of them in the ministry, sources said.

“The delay in Maharashtra is small compared to Telangana, where in 2019, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao waited for 61 days to form a full-fledged council of ministers,” a political observer said.

On Saturday, Shinde said the state government’s functioning has not been affected in any way due to the delay in the expansion of the council of ministers and that more ministers will be inducted soon.

Fadnavis and Shinde visited Delhi multiple times in the recent past regarding the issue of Cabinet expansion.

Pawar slams Shinde

Ajit Pawar, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly, said Shinde had promised a ministerial berth to every MLA who joined him.

“Now Shinde is not able to fulfil his promise, hence the delay in Cabinet expansion. The chief minister should also reveal what led to the delay,” Pawar said.

Pawar also said there has been no invitation to him so far from the government for Tuesday’s ministry expansion.

It is clear that not all of the 40 rebel Sena MLAs who are in the Shinde group will get the ministerial berth, he added.

Countering Opposition criticism, Fadnavis noted that the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray functioned with a seven-member Cabinet for 40 days.

With inputs from agencies

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