Maharashtra cabinet expansion on December 15, new ministers to take oath in Nagpur: Report

Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister of the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, finalised 22 ministers for the state cabinet on Friday.

The cabinet expansion of the newly elected BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra is set to take place, with the oath of office ceremony scheduled to be held in Nagpur, PTI reported citing official sources.

The Mahayuti government was sworn in on December 5 in Maharashtra. (Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times)

A senior BJP leader told PTI that 30-32 ministers are likely to take oath. Including the chief minister, the council of ministers in Maharashtra can have 43 members maximum.

Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on December 5, with Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar being sworn-in as his deputies.

Following the cabinet expansion, the state's week-long winter session of is scheduled to begin in Nagpur on December 16.

Meanwhile, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule met with deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar separately on Friday to finalise the cabinet formation.

Shinde however, is still holding out, in a full-blown attempt to get whatever he can from the BJP-led government that is calling the shots this term.

While Fadnavis has been keen on expanding the Cabinet by Saturday, Shinde's reluctancy has delayed the proposed process ahead of the winter session of the state legislature.

Both the BJP and NCP have decided on their respective ministerial hopefuls, however, the Shiv Sena has refused to share its list. As per BJP leaders, not only is Shinde bargaining hard for a few plum portfolios, he is also not prepared to agree with the saffron party's condition of dropping tainted names.

Shinde, who had been pushing for the home department, said that if he was denied the portfolio, then NCP chief Ajit Pawar should also not be given finance.

In terms of who will get how many seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party will retain 22 berths, the Shiv Sena will get 11 and the NCP 10.

Fadnavis on Friday finalised his list of 22 ministers for the state cabinet. He had met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day before to discuss power-sharing and the priorities for the newly formed government.

The duo reportedly discussed the schemes and projects to be implemented with the help of central funding.

Notably in the state assembly elections held on November 20, the Mahayuti alliance achieved a landslide victory, winning 230 of the 288 seats in Maharashtra. Of these, the BJP bagged 132 seats, Shiv Sena won 57 and NCP bagged 41.