Maharashtra cabinet expansion: 15 ministers likely to take oath, Fadnavis to get Home

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Maharashtra cabinet expansion: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is likely to expand his cabinet this week by inducting at least 15 ministers. Sources said the exercise will be carried out before August 15. Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis were sworn in as chief minister and deputy chief minister respectively on June 30 after the resignation of Uddhav Thackeray due to a rebellion in the Shiv Sena ranks.

The duo have been functioning as a two-member cabinet since then, inviting criticism from opposition leaders, including NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to keep the crucial Home portfolio. 

Top government sources also said the civic polls in the state, delayed due to the OBC reservation issue being heard by the Supreme Court, are likely to be held in October after getting a clarification from the apex court. 

Fadnavis 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. He said these constituencies included those held by Shiv Sena leaders who have now joined the Shinde camp.

 
"Since Shiv Sena and BJP will contest the Lok Sabha elections as a coalition, the BJP will work to ensure the victory of the sitting Lok Sabha members from these constituencies,” Fadnavis said. He said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been given the responsibility to coordinate efforts to better the BJP's performance in Baramati, where the party had polled a good number of votes in the previous elections.

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Fadnavis said Sitharaman is likely to tour Baramati in September and travel programmes of other central BJP leaders and Union ministers tasked with responsibilities for Lok Sabha polls will be finalised soon. “In these 16 constituencies, the central BJP will concentrate its energies to better the party's performance,” Fadnavis said. Baramati is currently represented by Supriya Sule, the daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The seat is considered a bastion of the Pawar family.

Also Read | Maharashtra cabinet expansion likely after Presidential polls, hints Sena's Shinde faction