Mumbai: Long awaited cabinet expansion is likely to take place immediately after the elections for 10 posts of the state Legislative Council, to be held on June 10, credible sources close to the developments have said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently consulted the top party leadership along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the cabinet expansion during his Delhi visit. The Union Cabinet as well as the BJP’s party organisation is expected to undergo major changes before the BJP’s national executive meet on June 11-12 in Delhi. The cabinet expansion in the state too would be matched with changes at the national level, sources said.
Though it is unlikely that any of the current cabinet ministers would be dropped, some of the ministers who have been handling several departments would be relived from charge of some of the departments, the sources have said.
Revenue minister Eknath Khadse, who also handles excise, agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy development, Wakf and relief and rehabilitation portfolios, would be expected to leave a few of them for the new entrants of the cabinet. Similarly, Pankaja Munde would be made to let go at least one major portfolio out of rural development, EGS and women and child development, the sources said.
Housing development minister Prakash Mehta might have to part with the labour portfolio and there might be a reorganisation of departments that the education minister Vinod Tawde handles. Some of the BJP’s ministers of state (MoS) too would have to part with charge of some departments, the sources said.
The decision regarding reshuffle is unlikely to be performance-based as was expected earlier. Also, it was being said earlier that the political appointments on state-run corporations and institutions would be announced before cabinet expansion, which is unlikely to happen now and the order would be reversed, the sources added.
There is a scope for 10 more ministers to be inducted in the cabinet. The Shiv Sena is expected to get two of these 10 berths. However, it is not yet clear whether it would be two MoS posts or one cabinet and one MoS. Chief Minister Fadnavis is likely to meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray soon to discuss the names of Shiv Sena members who would be inducted into the cabinet. The cabinet expansion last year was postponed as the Shiv Sena had too many aspirants and the party leadership couldn’t decide on the names, they said.
The BJP is planning to have the Legislative Council members elected unanimously and expects to win five out of the 10 seats. In that case at least two of the members of smaller allies would be sent to the Council and inducted as ministers.
