Discontent over delay in cabinet expansion in Maharashtra

Discontent is brewing among the Bharatiya Janata Party-Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena alliance over the delay in expansion of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government and the appointments to the post of chairpersons of state-owned corporations.

It was expected that the 20-member ministry which includes Chief Minister Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis would be expanded before the Nagpur winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature session in December.

Since the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly comprises 288 members, the maximum ministers that the government can have is 43.

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However, the BJP top brass and Shinde, who heads the rebel Shiv Sena faction, seems to be going slow in the wake of the pending proceedings in the Supreme Court - which would decide the fate of the government.

Prahar Janshakti Party MLA from Achalpur, Bachchu Kadu, who was among the first to walk out of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government and join the Shiv Sena rebels, has spoken out on the issue.

“If the expansion is happening or not happening…there should be clarity,” Kadu, a veteran of Vidarbha politics, said. “The questions would be addressed to Shinde and Fadnavis. My party has two MLAs and I am not in a position to say,” he said.

The smaller parties and Independents of the BJP and BSS camp are unhappy over the delay in Cabinet expansion and delay in appointment of chairpersons of various government-owned corporations. “It is already six months and there are just two years to go,” sources in the BJP-BSS said.

In fact, the fissures within the Shinde-headed BSS have come out in open with state Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar, an MLA from Sillod, speaking out. Sattar is having a political rift with Aurangabad West MLA Sanjay Shirsat.

As of now, the 20 ministers are in a 50:50 ratio between the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and the BJP.

The smaller parties and independent members have not yet been accommodated.

Shinde and Fadnavis were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively, on 30 June and it cleared the trust vote on 4 July.

However, after delay, 18 new Cabinet ministers were sworn in on 9 August - and to finalise the names, the Shinde-Fadnavis duo travelled to New Delhi several times.