Lagatar24 Desk
Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expanded his cabinet on Sunday with 39 MLAs sworn in as ministers by Governor PC Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan in Nagpur. The expansion comes as the state prepares for its legislature’s winter session, set to begin on December 16.
The BJP secured 19 ministerial berths, followed by 11 for Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and 9 for Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). With the inclusion of CM Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Shinde and Pawar, the Maharashtra cabinet now comprises 42 members.
Key Appointments in the BJP Camp
Prominent leaders from the BJP who took the oath include Girish Mahajan, Chandrakant Patil, Pankaja Munde, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, and state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule. The list also features Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Ashish Shelar, and several first-timers such as Meghana Bordikar and Madhuri Misal.
Shiv Sena’s Unique Commitment
The Shiv Sena ministers will serve for two-and-a-half years, after which they are required to vacate their posts to allow other party members to join the cabinet. The 11 Sena ministers reportedly took an oath to honor this rotation agreement.
Rare Swearing-In Ceremony in Nagpur
The swearing-in ceremony marked a rare occurrence in Nagpur. The last such event in the city was in 1991, when Governor C Subramaniam administered the oath to Chhagan Bhujbal and others.
Election Victory and Cabinet Composition
In the recent state elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance claimed a decisive victory with 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats, while Shiv Sena won 57, and NCP secured 41.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance faced a significant setback, with Congress winning only 16 seats, the Shiv Sena (UBT) securing 20, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) managing just 10.
