Mumbai: After 10 days of political wrangling, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra expanded its cabinet on Sunday, just one day before the commencement of the state legislature’s winter session. The cabinet now includes 39 ministers, 33 of whom are of cabinet rank, while 6 are Ministers of State (MoS).
About The Reshuffle
This significant reshuffle includes representatives from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and marks a critical moment in the government’s preparations for upcoming elections. A total of 19 BJP MLAs were inducted into the cabinet, bringing the party’s representation to 20, including Chief Minister Fadnavis. Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, secured 12 ministerial positions, while NCP, under Ajit Pawar, garnered 10. The cabinet’s overall strength now stands at 42, just shy of the permissible limit of 43 members in the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly.
A significant aspect of this cabinet expansion is the inclusion of 19 first-time ministers, with the BJP fielding several new faces, notably state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar. Among the newly inducted ministers are four women: Pankaja Munde, Aaditi Tatkare, Madhuri Misal, and Meghna Sakore Bordikar. While Munde, Misal, and Bordikar are from BJP, Tatkare represents NCP. The cabinet offers an uneven regional distribution, with Western Maharashtra emerging as the largest beneficiary, securing 11 ministers.
In contrast, Mumbai, where the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are imminent, received only two cabinet members—Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill and Ashish Shelar from Bandra West. The BJP’s decision to place both of its ministers from Mumbai signals its strategic focus on retaining control over the metropolis during the BMC elections. The new cabinet composition reflects ongoing intra-party tensions within the Shiv Sena and NCP.
An Unconventional Move
In a somewhat unconventional move, the two parties have agreed that their ministers will vacate their positions after two and a half years to make room for others. This arrangement, formalized in writing by Shiv Sena and confirmed by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is intended to allow party members to rotate into ministerial roles, with aspirations for positions among many legislators. Shiv Sena, in particular, has a large pool of 57 MLAs, while NCP has 41, and both parties have faced internal friction over these decisions. Notable absentees from the cabinet include several prominent figures who were not inducted despite expectations. From the BJP, former ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar and Ravindra Chavan were excluded.
Similarly, Shiv Sena failed to include former ministers Tanaji Sawant, Abdul Sattar, and Deepak Kesarkar, while NCP notably dropped veteran leader Chhagan Bhujbal and others like Dilip Walse-Patil and Dharmaraobaba Atram. Bhujbal’s exclusion, in particular, has caused discontent within the NCP, with the leader boycotting a party rally organized before the cabinet expansion.
About The Cabinet’s Geographical Breakdown
The cabinet’s geographical breakdown shows the distinct political balancing act the government has undertaken. In Konkan and Vidarbha, each region has been allotted 8 ministers, while North Maharashtra has 7, Marathwada 6, and Mumbai just 2. For the Shiv Sena and NCP, the cabinet reshuffle’s focus on limited tenures for ministers from each party aims to prevent internal resentment, but also introduces a degree of uncertainty as legislators jostle for power.
The Governor of Maharashtra, P.C. Radhakrishnan, administered the oath of office to the new ministers in a simple ceremony at Nagpur on Sunday. Chief Minister Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Shinde and Pawar were present, marking the official expansion of the cabinet ahead of the critical winter session, which will begin on December 16 and run through December 21.
With this reshuffle, the Mahayuti government aims to consolidate its political base across the state, with particular focus on Western Maharashtra, the coastal Konkan region, and urban Mumbai, all of which are crucial in the run-up to upcoming civic elections. While the internal agreements and ministerial rotations signal a government in transition, the cabinet’s immediate task will be to navigate the legislative agenda of the winter session and address the challenges posed by factionalism within its ranks.
