Maha Cabinet expansion likely on August 5; BJP's 8 MLAs, 7 of Shinde faction to take oath
A total of 15 ministers could take oath including 8 BJP MLAs and 7 Eknath Shinde group legislators; the Cabinet expansion may take place in 2 or 3 rounds.
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Mumbai, July 4: The expansion of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra cabinet is likely to happen before Sunday, said Deepak Kesarkar, the chief spokesperson of the Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena. With expansion awaited, CM Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis have been the only two members in the cabinet since the formation of the new government on June 30.
The rebellion by Shinde and 40 MLAs of Shiv Sena led to collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government in June. But even after 35 days, the state government is functioning without a Cabinet.
Kesarkar said the “expansion of the cabinet is expected before Sunday”. A coalition party leader said, “The Supreme Court verdict (on plea on disqualification of MLAs) is expected on Thursday. The decision on expansion will follow the court order and one can expect the expansion on Friday or Saturday.”
The state legislature’s monsoon session was scheduled to start from July 18, but it was put off after Shinde brought down the Uddhav Thackeray-led government and was sworn in as the CM with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A total of 15 ministers could take oath including 8 BJP MLAs and 7 Eknath Shinde group legislators. The Cabinet expansion may take place in 2 or 3 rounds. The expansion of ministers can be done 2 or 3 rounds.
According to reports, the complete list of ministers has been approved from Delhi. Speculations are going around that new faces from BJP will get a chance.
The state legislature’s monsoon session was scheduled to start from July 18, but it was put off after Shinde brought down the Uddhav Thackeray-led government and was sworn in as the CM with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).