With all eyes on the Maharashtra cabinet expansion, sources said that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is highly likely to get the finance portfolio, according to media reports. Ajit Pawar recently rebelled against his uncle and mentor, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and joined hands with Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena and BJP 'Mahayuti' government in the state.
Delhi visit
On Wednesday (July 12), with the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP trying to work out their respective party participation in the cabinet expansion, Deputy Chief Minister and NCP rebel Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.
Pawar and his loyalists had joined hands with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance on July 2, but there has been no consensus on the distribution of portfolios thus far, which was already long due.
Pending cabinet expansion
On August 9, 2022, 18 ministers were inducted in the Shinde-Fadnavis government after it came to power in June, while as per rules the council of ministers in the state can have a maximum of 43 members.
However, neither Shinde nor Fadnavis had given a specific timeline for the expansion of the council of ministers. And with Ajit Pawar joining the government along with NCP MLAs loyal to him, the cabinet expansion only pushed further, development on which is expected soon.
