Maharashtra Cabinet expansion to take place before Monsoon Session; Sena demands ‘lion’s share’
The Hindu
A day after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, Mr. Shinde on June 5 said that the ruling Shiv Sena faction and the BJP alliance would contest future elections together
The much-awaited Cabinet expansion in Maharashtra would take place before the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Assembly or even before that, said State Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai on June 6.
“The Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) and Deputy Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) have said the Cabinet will be expanded soon. It will take place before the Monsoon Session or even before that,” he said.
When Mr. Shinde took over as the 20th Chief Minister of the western State after toppling the now Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June last year, 18 Ministers (nine from Shinde-led Shiv Sena and nine from the BJP) were inducted into the Cabinet. According to the rule book, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly which has 288 members, can have a maximum of 43 members in the Council of Ministers.
Also read | Shiv Sena-BJP to contest all future elections together: Eknath Shinde
While Mr. Desai, a leader of the Shiv Sena, confirmed that the expansion would take place before the Monsoon Session, the sitting’s schedule has not yet been announced. BJP’s senior leader and Dy CM Fadnavis on Monday said the Cabinet would be expanded soon and the timeline decided by Mr. Shinde.
A day after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, Mr. Shinde on June 5 said that the ruling Shiv Sena faction and the BJP alliance would contest future elections together, including the 2024 Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections as well as the long-pending civic poll. The Chief Minister further said they had fruitful discussions regarding the pending second phase of the Maharashtra Cabinet expansion with Mr. Shah. However, neither Mr. Shinde nor Mr. Fadnavis gave a specific timeline for the expansion of the Council of Ministers.
Speaking to The Hindu, a senior BJP leader said that the expansion could happen before the crucial civic poll, and the Shinde faction of the Sena was obdurate on getting an equal number of berths in the Cabinet.
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