6 days Ago By Priya Pareek
Mumbai: The newly formed Maharashtra cabinet took oath on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar after Mahayuti's resounding victory in the recently-held Maharashtra elections. The swearing-in ceremony, held at Raj Bhavan in Nagpur, was administered by Governor CP Radhakrishnan. This marks a rare occasion for the state, as the last such ceremony in Nagpur was in 1991, when Governor C Subramaniam swore in Chhagan Bhujbal and other ministers.
The timing of the ceremony is significant, as it comes just a day before the winter session of the state legislature is set to begin. BJP's state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule was the first to be sworn in as cabinet minister. Another BJP candidate who took oath as a minister was Radhakrishna Vikhepatil.
He was earlier with the Shinde party as a revenue minister. Several Shiv Sena and NCP MLAs are set to be inducted into the council of ministers, reflecting the alliance's push to finalise its governance team. Meet New Maharashtra Ministers Chandrashekhar Bawankule (BJP), MLA from Kamthi in Nagpur district, sworn in as the first cabinet minister.
Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (BJP), an eight-term MLA from Shirdi, took oath after Bawankule; previously with Congress, Shiv Sena, and now BJP; was revenue minister in the Shinde government.Hasan Mushrif (NCP), four-term MLA from Kagal in Kolhapur district, sworn in as a minister.Chandrakant Patil (BJP), second-term MLA from Kothrud in Pune district; served as MLC in 2014, revenue and public works minister in Devendra Fadnavis' government, and Maharashtra BJP chief from 2019-2022.
Girish Mahajan (BJP), seven-term MLA from Jamner in Jalgaon district; close confidant of Fadnavis, also part of the cabinet.Gulabrao Patil (Shiv Sena), five-term MLA from Jalgaon Rural assembly constituency; sided with Eknath Shinde during the party split, part of the new Maharashtra cabinet.Ganesh Naik (BJP), seventh-term MLA from Airoli; previously with Shiv Sena and NCP before joining BJP in 2019, sworn in as a minister.
Dada Bhuse (Shiv Sena), fifth-term MLA from Malegaon (Outer); joined Eknath Shinde's faction in 2022, appointed as minister.Sanjay Rathod (Shiv Sena), MLA from Dogras constituency, included in the cabinet.Dhananjay Munde (NCP), second-term MLA, sworn in as a minister.
With the portfolio allocation yet to be finalised, the parties have limited time to assign roles to the newly appointed ministers before the session commences. The formation of the cabinet, which took place ten days after Fadnavis assumed office as Chief Minister in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was a result of prolonged deliberations. The BJP is likely to retain major departments such as revenue, education, power and irrigation.
NCP is expected to keep the finance, cooperative, agriculture and sports portfolios. Mahayuti's Maha Win The Mahayuti alliance faced challenges in balancing power among the Shiv Sena and NCP factions, both eager to secure influential positions in the government. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance emerged victorious in the state elections with a commanding win of 235 seats.
The BJP secured the largest share, winning 132 seats, while Shiv Sena won 57 and the NCP claimed 41. In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which consists of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), suffered a significant blow, with Congress securing just 16 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) taking 20, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) winning only 10 seats. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
.
