Maharashtra cabinet expansion before August 15; Devendra Fadnavis to get Home

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis have been functioning as a two-member Cabinet.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is likely to expand his cabinet before August 15 by inducting at least 15 ministers and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is expected to keep the crucial Home portfolio, sources said on August 7, 2022.

Top government sources 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.

Mr. Shinde and Mr. 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.

“Ajit Pawar is leader of the opposition. He will have to say such things. Ajit dada conveniently forgets that when he was in the government there were just five ministers for the first 32 days," Mr. Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai on August 7, 2022.

The expansion of the Maharashtra cabinet will take place “before you can even imagine”, Mr. Fadnavis told reporters in response to repeated questions on the induction of new ministers.

Mr. 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.