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Sena ministers will get rotational terms: Shinde
Maharashtra's cabinet expanded with 39 ministers, but portfolio allocation is pending. New terms include limits for Shiv Sena ministers.
Maharashtra’s ruling coalition expanded its cabinet on Sunday with 39 new ministers, but suspense continued over the all-important portfolio allocation with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis saying allocations will be made over the next two-to-three days, while his ally and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde announced 2-5-year term limits for ministers from his party.
Also Read: Maharashtra cabinet expansion: Team Fadnavis takes shape at mega Mahayuti event
Sunday’s swearing-in, carried out a day before the new assembly is scheduled to convene, had 19 MLAs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 11 from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and nine from Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party faction taking oath of office at the Raj Bhavan.
Also Read: Maharashtra cabinet expansion: Team Fadnavis takes shape at mega Mahayuti event
“We have decided on the portfolio allocation and it will be announced in two to three days. Our administration will focus on swift development,” said Fadnavis.
Also Read: ‘I didn’t want to join government,' a miffed Eknath Shinde tells Shiv Sena leaders
Eighteen ministers are first-timers - seven from the BJP, five from the Shiv Sena and six from the NCP. This has sparked discontent among senior Mahayuti leaders from the previous government. To address this, the parties have decided to rotate ministers, people aware of the matter said, though only one party's leaders confirmed it.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar suggested “non-performers” could be replaced in as little as 2.5 months, while Shinde specifically committed his party’s ministers to 2.5-year terms, saying “Those who work good will progress.”
The party will require its ministers to sign affidavits accepting 2.5-year terms. “These affidavits are being taken so that party chief leader Eknath Shinde could have final say,” minister Shamburaj Desai said.
A close aide to Shinde was more candid about the strategy, noting, “These MLAs from Shiv Sena have no ideology or loyalty to Eknath Shinde and want power. We have to distribute power equitably.”
The reshuffle saw notable exclusions, including BJP’s Sudhir Mungantiwar, NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil, and Shiv Sena’s Abdul Sattar. Sources indicated that Sattar and his party colleague Tanaji Sawant’s exclusions were influenced by BJP objections. Sawant’s tenure in the Health department had faced criticism for circumventing tender processes and conflicts with IAS officers.
A third Shiv Sena leader who was dropped from the cabinet was Deepak Kesarkar.
The new cabinet reflects regional balance: nine ministers from western Maharashtra, eight from north Maharashtra, seven from Vidarbha, six from Marathwada, four from Mumbai/Thane, and five from Konkan. Four women were inducted: Pankaja Munde and Madhuri Misal from BJP, and Aditi Tatkare from NCP as cabinet ministers, with BJP’s Meghna Bordikar as minister of state.
The Shiv Sena’s reorganisation has caused some internal turbulence. MLA Narendra Bhondekar resigned from party posts while retaining his legislative position, and Magathane MLA Prakash Surve expressed disappointment at being overlooked. However, minister Bharat Gogavale defended the rotational approach, noting that “earlier, he had to wait for a ministerial berth, now others have to wait.”
Governor C P Radhakrishnan administered the oath to the new ministers on the eve of the state legislature’s winter session in Nagpur — the first such ceremony in the city since the Sudhakarrao Naik cabinet expansion of 1991.
Addressing criticism from the opposition MVA, Fadnavis defended his government: “Our government came to power because every vote has gone for Maharashtra. My government works by the Constitution and respecting the dignity of the Constitution is our priority.”
