Cabinet Expansion in Maharashtra, unveils; to see the glare of the day

After 40 days of failure of Uddhav Thackeray’s government, the new Shiv Sena is all set to publicise its new regime and Cabinet Expansion in Maharashtra.

The Cabinet Expansion of the Maharashtra government will officially catch a glimpse of the glare of the day. The expansion will take place on August 9, 2022 (Tuesday). August 10 will mark the commencement of the state assembly’s monsoon session. As per the report by the news agency ANI, the expansion meet will commence at 11 am at Maharashtra Raj Bhavan. It has been 40 days( 5 weeks 5 days) since Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis took the oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

The two ministers haven’t failed to keep up with the work. They have been operating as a two-member led cabinet. They have endured criticism put forward by opposition leaders, including NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Eknath Shinde is presumed to induct 18 ministers to administer the oath of office.

What we can expect from Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion?

The cabinet expansion would cater to the compliance of 10 to 11 leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The first stage of the election will see 6-7 leaders from the camp of CM Eknath Shinde appointed as ministers.

Though, only 43 members are acceptable to the council of ministers, comprising the chief minister. 

The BJP hasn’t been negligent with their alliance. BJP is all set to endeavour a hold over all premium portfolios earlier held by Congress and NCP. It includes home, irrigation, public works, and housing. The Shinde faction has offered to take a stance over those held by the Shiv Sena in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government (MVA- Shiv Sena’s previous alliance).

The opposition has castigated that in the absence of a full cabinet, Shinde has endowed specific powers of ministers to secretaries. Nevertheless, Shinde didn’t fail to clarify that ‘no ministerial-level leverages were granted to the secretaries except in a quasi-judicial matter.’

Shinde and Fadnavis held a two-hour meeting on Monday (August 8, 2022) at the former’s Nandanvan bungalow in Malabar Hills. 

The rationale behind this long meeting was to figure out the list of candidates for the cabinet expansion.

BJP is all set to turn over a new leaf on its impressions in Maharashtra, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said Fadnavis. They have planned the same by identifying 16 parliamentary constituencies. Momentarily, the opposition party has a winning streak over these constituencies. 

Chandrakant Patil, the party’s state president will possibly take up the post of minister, said sources. Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Girish Mahajan, and Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Atul Save and Suresh Khade are other probable candidates from the BJP party, who are on the list. These leaders are expected to make it to the final cut. 

The candidature of Vikhe Patil is supposedly prioritised. He was the opposition leader in the state legislative assembly. Ahead of the 2019 elections, the said leader joined the BJP.

The criteria adopted by Shinde in the process of shortlisting the candidates comprise the accommodation of Shiv Sena’s rebels. These leaders held a ministerial berth during their tenure in Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government, said the sources.

Notably, Dadasaheb Bhuse, Uday Samant, Gulabrao Patil, Sandipan Bhumre, Shambhuraje Desai, Bharat Gogawale, Sanjay Shirsat, and Bachhu Kadu, are the prospects from the Shinde faction presumably to take oath on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the BJP’s in charge of Maharashtra affairs, CT Ravi, held a closed-door meeting with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. 

According to the sources the meeting lasted for around 30-45 minutes.

“Cabinet Expansion is the responsibility of CM and deputy CM, they will do it…’Sabka sath, sab ka Vikas, sabka prayas, and sabka vishwas’ is our agenda. Under PM Modi’s guidance, we will run Maharashtra under this (agenda),” Ravi told reporters after the meeting.

It won’t be a cakewalk for Shinde to adjust. 40 rebels that left the previous alliance and BJP’s 106 MLAs into a single cabinet. However, at the party’s conclave, last month (July), Fadnavis painted the reality in front of all the ministers and notified them to be pragmatic.