Maharashtra: Shinde faction MLAs will have to wait to become ministers, cabinet expansion may be delayed

Mumbai, 7th July 2022: Uncertainty remains over cabinet expansion even a week after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis took the oath. Senior BJP leaders feel that the program of inducting ministers should be postponed in view of the visit of NDA’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu to Mumbai on July 14. The presidential elections will be held on 18 July.

The MLAs must be in Mumbai on July 18 for the Presidential election. Therefore, the general opinion in the BJP camp is that it would be appropriate to expand the cabinet on July 17 or 19. So that the MLAs do not have to travel to Mumbai again from their constituency.

Initially, 12-15 MLAs are Likely to be included in the cabinet

According to a senior BJP leader, CMEknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis may include 12-15 MLAs in the cabinet instead of filling all 43 posts initially. A full extension may occur after the state legislature’s monsoon session.“The monsoon session was to begin from July 18, but now it has to be rescheduled to July 25,” he said.

It will be decided by the Speaker in consultation with the CM and the Deputy CM.

On the delay in cabinet expansion, the senior BJP leader said, “Shinde and Fadnavis have taken the oath and BJP has won the trust vote in the assembly with a huge margin. So there is no hurry. We can wait a few more days.”

He clarified that it would be wrong to link the delay in cabinet expansion with the disqualification case pending before the Supreme Court, which is coming for a hearing on July 11.

Shiv Sena had moved the apex court. The Supreme Court had ordered to maintain the status quo.

Fadnavis had told media persons in Nagpur on Tuesday that after returning to Mumbai on Wednesday, he would hold discussions with Shinde to finalize the appointments for the new cabinet. However, he was unable to divulge the dates.

A BJP leader said, “We feel the cabinet formation is not that easy, Shinde and Fadnavis will have to sit together and work out the details. Both may go to Delhi for discussions with the BJP leadership.”