In new Maharashtra cabinet, number of women ministers increases from 1 to 4

Of the 42 ministers, 39 were sworn in on Sunday.

NAGPUR: Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered oath to 39 ministers at Raj Bhavan in Nagpur on Sunday. The final distribution of the portfolio is expected in two days, CM Devendra Fadnavis told reporters at his official residence here, hours after the oath-taking ceremony.
Sources said Fadnavis is likely to retain the real estate portfolio despite resistance from his deputy Eknath Shinde.

The Shiv Sena and NCP are expected to change some ministers after two and a half years to give more MLAs an opportunity to prove their administrative skills.
The first rumblings in the Sena-Shinde camp were felt in Bhandara, where a three-time MP, Narendra Bhondekar, resigned from all party posts in protest against his exclusion from the ministry.

The inauguration ceremony, strategically held a day before the winter session of the Assembly, attracted attention for its blend of experience and fresh blood with the state. BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who was the first to take oath, is making a comeback after being sacked in 2019. With 33 ministers and six MoS, the Mahayuti has ensured a balance between the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP, marking a crucial step in stabilization. the coalition government.

Six new ministers – BJP’s Meghana Bordikar, Madhuri Misal and Pankaj Bhoyar; NCP’s Indranil Naik; Ashish Jaiswal and Yogesh Kadam of Shiv Sena were sworn in as MoS. Other new faces in the cabinet include Ashok Uike, Ashish Shelar, Shivendra Raje Bhonsale and Jaykumar Gore. The new government will have four women ministers: Pankaja Munde of the BJP, Madhuri Misal, Meghana Bordikar and Aaditi Tatkare of the NCP. There is one Muslim in the Mahayuti government – Hasan Mushrif from Ajit Pawar’s camp.

Another senior BJP leader to make a return to the cabinet is former minister and MLC Pankaja Munde, who was a minister in the Fadnavis-led BJP-Sena government in 2014. She took oath along with her brother, Dhananjay Munde, who had taken oath from PCN. Even veteran Ganesh Naik, who was a minister in the governments led by Manohar Joshi, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ashok Chavan, was included. Former Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal also made a comeback.
The BJP retained most of its big names in the Shinde cabinet, including Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Mangalprabhat Lodha and Atul Save, concocting a 48% strike. Sena also retained majority of its ministers from the previous government, but included new faces like party spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat, Bharat Gogawale, along with Pratap Sarnaik, Prakash Abitkar and Ashish Jaiswal. The party achieved a strike rate of 28.5%. Similarly, the NCP retained most of its old ministers, but gave opportunity to new faces: Narhari Zirwal, Manikrao Kokate, Dattatray Bharne, Makrand Jadhav Patil, Babasaheb Patil and Pusad’s Indranil Naik (MoS). The party achieved a strike rate of 23.8%.