MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has decided to expand his Cabinet in two phases, with some of the senior leaders being inducted in the first phase.
Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda in Delhi to get their nod about the selected names.
“Presently, Eknath Shinde is in charge of all the 42 ministries. The Deputy CM also does not have any responsibility. Both the leaders will discuss the allocations of ministry between the two parties,” a source said requesting anonymity.
The BJP is said to have agreed to take the departments that were handled by the Shiv Sena during their alliance government during 2014-2019. So the BJP is likely to get plump portfolios like home, finance, revenue and irrigation while the Shinde camp may get urban development, agriculture, industry, transport, etc.
“We had initially thought that the ministry allocations and expansion should be carried out once the Supreme Court order comes on July 11,” the source said, adding, “But we have been facing a lot of challenges to run the administration. The sowing season is on, and many parts of the state are yet to receive satisfactory rainfall even as heavy rains may cause havoc in Mumbai and Konkan regions. Therefore, we need respective ministers in place to take quick decisions.”
Meanwhile, the Eknath Shinde camp is witnessing a tug of war over the ministry allocations, with each leader expecting a portfolio. On the other hand, the BJP has 105 MLAs, in addition to those from small parties and independent MLAs being part of the government.
Shinde will also visit Delhi on Friday, his first tour of the national capital after taking the oath of his new office last month, an official said on Thursday.
According to his tour itinerary, Shinde, who was sworn in as chief minister on June 30, will take a government-chartered flight for New Delhi on Friday evening.
However, his engagements in the national capital were not disclosed.
He will leave for Pune on Saturday evening and proceed to the temple town of Pandharpur for taking part in the 'Ashadi Ekadashi' maha puja on early Sunday morning.
Pandharpur in Solapur district houses a famous temple dedicated to Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rukmini.
It has been a long-standing tradition in Maharashtra for the chief minister of the day and his spouse to attend the early morning prayers at the temple on 'Ashadi Ekadashi', a prominent Hindu festival.
Shinde's visit comes ahead of the July 11 hearing in the Supreme Court on a petition seeking disqualification of 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs.
Rebellion by a section of Sena MLAs, led by Shinde, resulted in the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government last month.
Congress to take action against errant MLAs
Congress has issued notices to at least 11 party MLAs who did not turn up during the trust vote of CM Eknath Shinde and for cross-voting during MLC polls in Maharashtra.
State party head Nana Patole on Thursday met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to seek action against the MLAs, including ex-CM Ashok Chavan, who skipped the trust vote.
(With PTI Inputs)