Fadnavis Cabinet Expansion in Maharashtra on December 15

The much-awaited cabinet expansion of the Fadnavis government in Maharashtra is set to take place on December 15. The oath-taking ceremony for the new ministers will be held in Nagpur, with a total of 30-32 ministers expected to be inducted into the cabinet.

As per the constitution, the Maharashtra Council of Ministers can have a maximum of 43 members, including the Chief Minister. Sources indicate that the BJP is likely to secure 20-21 ministerial posts, while Shiv Sena is expected to get 11-12 posts, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar group) may secure 9-10 posts. It has been revealed that CM Fadnavis will personally call the potential ministers to confirm their induction into the cabinet.

Key Developments Leading to the Expansion

State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule has held separate discussions with Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar to finalize the list of ministers. Both leaders have submitted their respective lists to CM Fadnavis. The formula for sharing ministerial posts appears to be finalized:

• BJP: 20 ministerial posts.
• Shiv Sena: 12 ministerial posts.
• NCP (Ajit Pawar group): 10 ministerial posts.

Challenges in Portfolio Allocation

The expansion has been delayed by over 10 days, primarily due to a disagreement regarding the Home Ministry. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis currently oversees this portfolio in the Shinde government. However, the Shinde faction has argued that they should also have control over the Home Ministry, as they already hold the Deputy CM post.

The BJP intends to retain key portfolios such as:

• Home
• Revenue
• Higher Education
• Law
• Energy
• Rural Development

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena has been offered portfolios like Health, Urban Development, Public Works, and Industry, while the NCP's Ajit Pawar group is expected to manage portfolios like Finance, Planning, Cooperation, and Agriculture.

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Potential Ministers

NCP (Ajit Pawar group)

The following names are being considered from the NCP camp:

• Chhagan Bhujbal
• Dhananjay Munde
• Dharamrao Baba Atram
• Aditi Tatkare
• Anil Patil

Additionally, sources indicate that Narhari Girwal and Datta Bharne may also be inducted, while Dilip Walse Patil has declined a ministerial role.

Shiv Sena (Shinde group)

The likely candidates from Shiv Sena include:

• Uday Samant
• Shambhuraj Desai
• Dada Bhuse
• Gulabrao Patil
• Sanjay Shirsat
• Pratap Sarnaik
• Bharat Gogwale
• Vijay Shivtare
• Arjun Khotkar

BJP

From the BJP, prominent names in consideration include:

• Chandrashekhar Bawankule
• Chandrakant Patil
• Sudhir Mungantiwar
• Pankaja Munde
• Meghna Bordikar
• Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar
• Ravindra Chavan
• Radhakrishna Patil
• Girish Mahajan

The BJP is also set to introduce some new faces into the cabinet as part of its strategy to ensure a balanced representation.

Recent Meetings

CM Fadnavis recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on December 12 to discuss the cabinet expansion and finalize the sharing of portfolios.