Ajit Pawar Announces Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion on December 14

Mumbai, 12th December 2024: On Thursday, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, confirmed that the state’s cabinet expansion would occur on Saturday, December 14.

Speaking to the press after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Pawar announced, “The cabinet expansion in Maharashtra will take place on December 14.”

Regarding the allocation of ministerial positions for the BJP, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated, “In our party, decisions are made by the parliamentary board and senior leadership. The allocation of BJP ministers will be decided within the party. Similarly, the NCP and Shiv Sena will select their ministers at their level. The formula for the expansion is already in place, and details will be shared soon.”

An NCP leader had earlier suggested that the BJP could receive 20 ministerial positions, while Shiv Sena and NCP are expected to receive 10 positions each.

The NCP representative further explained that, due to the large number of Mahayuti legislators, ministerial terms might be capped at two and a half years, with performance evaluations influencing tenure.

Shiv Sena is expected to make adjustments to its previous ministerial appointments, with new representatives being considered for these roles.

The cabinet expansion follows the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister for the third time on December 5, with Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde taking on roles as Deputy Chief Ministers. The oath ceremony, held at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and administered by Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan.