In the recent expansion of the Shiv Sena cabinet, party chief and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde carefully balanced regional and caste considerations, as well as the upcoming civic polls. With a strong message to his party members, Shinde retained five ministers and dropped three, while also including six new faces, following a rotation policy for ministers. Despite controversy surrounding some of the dropped ministers, Shinde's focus was on expanding the party's reach across all five regions of the state.
In a much-awaited cabinet expansion, the BJP-led Maharashtra government saw 39 new ministers being sworn in, taking its strength to 42. The coalition partners Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party received 11 and 9 ministerial berths respectively. This expansion marks the second time since 1991 that the swearing-in ceremony has been held in Nagpur, signalling the BJP's stronghold in the state. The move comes after the BJP and its allies secured a landslide victory in the state elections, gaining 235 Assembly seats.
In his first media interaction after the BJP's win in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that there were no disagreements regarding the Cabinet portfolio allocation between the saffron party and its alliance partner Shiv Sena. He stated that there was no reason for Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde to be upset with the BJP, as the latter holds a greater number of seats in the state. The Cabinet expansion for the Maharashtra government is set to take place on December 15, with sources saying that 30-32 ministers will be taking oath, including the Chief Minister post which will be retained by the BJP.
Following the recent Assembly elections, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has been sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra for the third time. However, the ceremony was attended only by Fadnavis and two deputy chief ministers, with the rest of the cabinet yet to be finalized due to ongoing portfolio discussions. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Bryan Johnson shared his unique approach to managing jet lag during his visit to India, but experts warn against prolonged fasting and suggest other strategies.
After over 11 days of political drama, Devendra Fadnavis has been named the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, with only two deputy chief ministers accompanying him in the swearing-in ceremony. The event, set to be held at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, has garnered much attention with an estimated 40,000 BJP supporters and 2,000 VVIPs expected to attend. Fadnavis expressed gratitude towards the people for their faith in him and credited the party's victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. While the final cabinet composition is yet to be announced, Fadnavis intends to lead with a consensus-driven approach and fulfill the promises made to the people of Maharashtra.
The Maharashtra Cabinet has passed a proposal, requesting the Union government to award India's highest civilian honor, Bharat Ratna, to late industrialist Ratan Tata. The Cabinet ministers paid tribute to Tata, highlighting his role as a social worker, visionary, and patriotic leader. His contributions to both the industrial sector and social development have been recognized, with him receiving the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.
Amidst the excitement of monsoon's early arrival and heavy rainfall in Mumbai and nearby areas, NCP leader Praful Patel reveals that he refused a lesser position of Minister of State with independent charge in the upcoming Modi 3.0 Cabinet. This move has caused some internal tension, with party member Sunil Tatkare also not receiving a Cabinet berth. However, other Maharashtra politicians, such as BJP's Nitin Gadkari, are set to take oath as Union Ministers. This comes as aviation regulator DGCA launches a probe into the incident at Mumbai's airport when an IndiGo plane landed and an Air India aircraft took off from the same runway in succession. With a diverse political background and a reputation for infrastructure-oriented development, Gadkari's appointment as Union Minister is being closely watched.