Maharashtra cabinet expansion: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expanded his cabinet on Tuesday. The event took place at 11 am at Maharashtra Raj Bhavan today. Maharashtra's cabinet was expanded almost 40 days after Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the chief minister and deputy chief minister, respectively.
As many as 18 ministers were inducted in the state's cabinet, while Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis kept charge of the crucial home portfolio.
Before the cabinet expansion today, the MLAs in the Shinde faction met at the state government's Sahyadri Guest House.
The 18 ministers who took oath today included nine from Shiv Sena and nine from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Maharashtra cabinet expansion: List of 18 ministers
Maharashtra cabinet - Sena vs Shinde
Of the 55 MLAs of Shiv Sena, 40 have aligned with Shinde. The revolt led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led government in June.
Shinde was sworn in as the CM on June 30 along with Fadnavis, who took oath as the Deputy CM.
The chief minister told reporters in Nanded on Monday evening that the names of MLAs who will take oath as ministers will be finalised by Monday night or on Tuesday.
Notably, both - Shinde and Fadnavis have been functioning as a two-member cabinet, inviting criticism from Opposition leaders, including NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Fadnavis has said the BJP has embarked on a mission to improve its footprint in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by identifying 16 parliamentary constituencies where opposition parties have had a consistent winning streak.
On 6 August, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said no ministerial-level powers have been given to the secretaries except in quasi-judicial matters.
The Opposition in the state had accused the chief minister of functioning as a two-member cabinet and having designed the decision-making powers to the bureaucrats. He said these constituencies included those held by Shiv Sena leaders who have now joined team Shinde.
(With inputs from agencies)
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