Maharashtra cabinet expansion LIVE: All eyes on portfolio formula

Maharashtra Cabinet Extension Live: A swearing-in ceremony for twelve MLAs is scheduled today at 4 pm, with seven new ministers from Shiv Sena. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnaivs paid floral tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar in Nagpur on Sunday.

The much-awaited cabinet expansion of the BJP-led Maharashtra government will take place on Sunday, December 15, with the new ministers taking oath at a ceremony in Nagpur.

Around 32 ministers from Mahayuti (BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) are expected to take oath, scheduled for 4 p.m.

The oath-taking ceremony comes nearly 10 days after Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister with Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar as his deputies.

The Maharashtra council of ministers can have a maximum of 43 members, including the chief minister.

Shiv Sena MP Narendra Bhondekar resigns

Shiv Sena MP Narendra Bhondekar from Bhandara Maharashtra resigns as deputy leader.

• Chandrashekhar Bawankule takes oath as minister.
• BJP’s Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, NCP’s Chandrakant Patil and Hasan Mushrif take oath as Maharashtra ministers at a ceremony in Nagpur.
• Ganesh Naik takes oath as minister.
• Dada Bhuse takes oath as minister.
• Sanjay Rathod takes oath as minister.
• Mangal Prabhat Lodha takes oath.
• Jay Kumar Raval BJP takes oath.
• BJP’s Pankaja Munde takes oath.
• Dhananjaya Munde BJP takes oath.
• Narendra Bhondekar Shiv Sena takes oath.
• Atul Save BJP takes oath.
• Chandrakant Patil BJP takes oath.
• Vithoba Bharane Data Platter takes the oath.
• Gulabrao Patil sworn in as Maharashtra minister
• Uday Samant sworn in as Maharashtra minister
• Shambhu Raje took oath.
• Sanjay Sawkare took the oath.
• Nitesh Rahane appointed Cabinet Minister
• Aditi Tatkare was sworn in as minister.
• Ashish Selar was sworn in as minister.

Girish Mahajan to take oath
BJP MP Girish Mahajan mentioned that he was chosen as a minister.

The Mahayuti won 230 of the state’s 288 seats. The BJP is leading with 132 seats, followed by Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 57 and Ajit Pawar’s NCP with 41.

Shiv Sena MP Bharatshet Gogawale today said that the oath-taking ceremony will take place today at 4 pm. Twelve deputies from his party, including himself, will be sworn in as ministers, seven of whom are new faces, he said.

“The swearing-in ceremony will take place today at 4 p.m. So we all have come to Nagpur. Seven people are new (who will take oath as ministers) and 5 are undergoing rehearsal,” Gogawale told the ANI.

Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi will boycott the tea party to be organized by the Maharashtra government on the eve of the winter session of the state legislature here on Sunday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas said Danve.

Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, Danve said that although the strength of the opposition in the Assembly may be less, it would confront the government with all its might on various issues, including those relating to farmers.

The six-day length of the winter session was too short, the opposition leader in the state legislative council added.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar also demanded extension of the session.

Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister with Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar as his deputies at a grand ceremony in Mumbai on December 5.

In the November 20 legislative elections, the Mahayuti swept to power, winning 230 of the state’s 288 seats. The BJP is leading with 132 seats, followed by Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 57 and Pawar’s NCP with 41.

The MVA comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) performed disastrously, winning only 46 seats.

The cabinet expansion of the BJP-led Maharashtra government would take place here on Sunday.