Fadnavis set to expand cabinet on December 15 at Nagpur

Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will expand his cabinet on December 15 at Nagpur and not on December 14 in Mumbai. A senior BJP functionary confirmed that the swearing-in will take place at Raj Bhavan on December 15 on the eve of a week-long winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature starting from December 16.

Governor CP Radhakrishnan will administer the oath of office to new ministers.

The MahaYuti partners have arrived at a formula for sharing cabinet berths; accordingly, BJP is expected to get 21, Shiv Sena 12 and NCP 10. The cabinet formula has been finalised based on the strength of the three partners. BJP has 132 legislators, Shiv Sena 57 and NCP 41. All 40 ministers from three parties are expected to take oath on Sunday.

“BJP has yet to get a nod from the party’s central leadership for its list. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to give its approval on Saturday and thereafter the cabinet expansion will take place on Sunday at Nagpur,” said a BJP functionary.

State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday evening met Deputy CM and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde seeking his consent for the swearing-in function on December 15 instead of December 14. After that Bawankule on Friday met NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and also took his consent for the swearing-in ceremony to be slated for December 15.

Earlier on Wednesday and Thursday, Fadnavis, who was accompanied by Bawankule, had held a series of meetings with the PM, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and party chief JP Nadda. Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar met Shah over cabinet expansion on Wednesday night when Shinde was conspicuous by his absence.

After the cabinet expansion, Fadnavis will host a customary tea meeting with cabinet colleagues and opposition parties and later he will chair the cabinet meeting to discuss the agenda including Bills to be tabled during the winter session.

BJP has already rejected Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde’s demand for giving home, revenue and housing departments to his party. BJP will retain home and revenue while it will give housing to NCP led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. BJP had promised to give housing to NCP after Ajit Pawar joined the MahaYuti government in July 2023. But it did not happen, so now the BJP will fulfil its promise.

BJP is set to retain home, revenue, energy, irrigation, public works, rural development, forest, tourism, cultural affairs, higher and technical education and OBC welfare. On the other hand, Shiv Sena will continue to hold urban development, industry, school education, public health, water supply, water and soil conservation and MSRDC.

In the case of NCP, it will retain planning and finance, cooperation, food and civil supply, agriculture, medical education, women and child welfare, ports and sports.

This will be the second time in the recent past after 1991 that the cabinet expansion will take place at Maharashtra’s second capital Nagpur. In 1991, Chhagan Bhujbal was sworn in as the minister in the cabinet headed by the chief minister Sudhakarrao Naik after he staged a rebellion against Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on the Mandal Commission report issue and joined Congress. Former Governor C Subramaniam had administered the oath of office and secrecy to Bhujbal.

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