Four from western Maharashtra get cabinet minister post

In the course of the expansion of the state cabinet, four ministers from western Maharashtra have got berths as ministers including Chandrakant Patil (Pune), Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil (Ahmednagar), Shamburaj Desai (Satara), and Suresh Khade (Sangli)

In the course of the expansion of the state cabinet, four ministers from western Maharashtra have got berths as ministers including Chandrakant Patil (Pune), Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil (Ahmednagar), Shamburaj Desai (Satara), and Suresh Khade (Sangli).

BJP leader Chandrakant Patil from Pune takes oath as Maharashtra minister, in Mumbai on Tuesday. (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

While the names of Patil, Vikhe-Patil and Desai were expected, Khade’s name is surprising to all. Patil is the state unit president and close to union home minister Amit Shah and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Patil’s home town is Kolhapur but he contested the assembly election from Kothrud assembly constituency from Pune city. Vikhe-Patil is an experienced minister and even in 2014-19, BJP gave him the minister’s post. Desai is from the Shiv Sena and despite being the minister of state for home, he rebelled and joined the Eknath Shinde faction. Whereas Khade’s name has surprised many.

Every state cabinet – be it led by the saffron party or the Congress and NCP – western Maharashtra has always dominated the cabinet. Even chief minister Shinde’s hometown is in western Maharashtra. Kolhapur has a good Shiv Sena base and most of them joined the Shinde camp but no one from Kolhapur got the minister’s post.

Tanaji Sawant, who is from Osmanabad district, got a chance as cabinet minister. Though he is from Osmanabad district, he used to stay in Pune for the most part.