Maharashtra cabinet expansion likely within fortnight

Though no official date has been announced by the BJP or the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction over the Maharashtra cabinet expansion but speculations are that chief minister Eknath Shinde will soon add more faces in his cabinet

Mumbai : The Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government is likely to expand its cabinet in couple of days. Shinde on June 30 took oath as the chief minister with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy after the rebel group toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Currently, there are only 2 members in the cabinet.

Meanwhile, the monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly that was scheduled to begin on July 18 was postponed. “There is a possibility of distributing cabinet portfolios on July 20 or 21, followed by swearing-in and holding the monsoon session within the next 10 days. This would enable ministers to learn about their new ministries so that they can answer questions on the floor of the House,” a senior BJP leader said on Sunday.

Notably, The BJP has 106 MLAs in the 288-member House and is expected to get more cabinet berths in the expansion, while eight ministers in the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray-led government who later joined Shinde, are also likely to be inducted.

The BJP leader said the party needs to strike a balance in terms of distribution of berths as only 18 months are left before the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra assembly elections. “Once the election code of conduct comes into effect, one cannot take any crucial or policy decision. Since there will also be a code of conduct in place for the Assembly polls likely in October 2024, ministers would get very limited time (for development works),” he claimed.

Some MLAs from the Shinde faction have reportedly sought a low-key swearing-in ceremony amid heavy rains in Maharashtra, while some have demanded that a public oath-taking event be held in the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan.