Deepak Kesarkar, a prominent spokesperson for the Eknath Shinde camp, announced that the expansion of the Maharashtra Cabinet will occur by Sunday, August 7. He told the reporters on Wednesday that CM Eknath Shinde would give the precise date for the induction of new Ministers. His response came a day after a delegation from the NCP, led by former deputy chief minister and leader of the opposition in the assembly Ajit Pawar, protested to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari about the issues facing the populace as a result of the delay in expanding the Cabinet.
Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar told the media, “By the coming Sunday, the Cabinet expansion will take place. As far as when it will happen is concerned, it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister. It is his right. That’s why the CM and Deputy CM will discuss it among themselves and you will get to know the final date. We are giving the guarantee that this won’t be delayed beyond 4 days under any circumstances.”
Ajit Pawar remarked on August 2 following their meeting: “We informed him that even though the government had been in place for a month, the Cabinet had not yet been created. The allocation of the portfolios is incomplete. Many visitors to the Mantralaya in Mumbai have high hopes of receiving justice. The staff members there advise them to wait until a Minister is appointed for their departments or to bring their file to the chief minister, who will sign it before anything is done.”
Maharashtra can have a maximum of 43 Ministers, including the Chief Minister, because the size of the Council of Ministers cannot be greater than 15% of the total number of MLAs. Only Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis have been in charge of running the state’s affairs thus far. For the first 32 days following the creation of the MVA government in 2019, the former Uddhav Thackeray-led Cabinet consisted of only 6 Ministers: Subhash Desai, Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patil, Balasaheb Thorat, Nitin Raut, and Eknath Shinde.
Change of guard in Maharashtra
Eknath Shinde, who headed the MVA government’s responsibilities for urban development and public works (including public undertakings), took the oath of office as the new chief minister of Maharashtra on June 30. As 38 additional Shiv Sena MLAs joined him outside the state in protest against the continuation of the partnership with NCP and Congress, Shinde played a crucial role in the fall of the state government. Devendra Fadnavis, who lost the election to become chief minister, was appointed as his deputy. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the arguments made by both Shiv Sena groups will determine the future of the government.
