Nagpur: More than 20 days have passed since the results of the Maharashtra assembly elections were announced and the cabinet expansion is likely to take place on Sunday. Though the names of the ministers are yet to be divulged, the Raj Bhavan in Nagpur is gearing up for the oath-taking ceremony after 33 years.
After the tripartite Mahayuti bloc comprising BJP, Shiv Sena (ES) and Nationalist Congress Party (ACP) posted a landslide victory and the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers respectively, it was widely expected that the cabinet expansion would take place soon.
However, as the number of expectants for the ministerial portfolios swelled, the deadline kept extending so as not to upset a single MLA.
The Winter Session of the assembly will be held in Nagpur from Monday and the cabinet expansion is expected to take place before that. In connection with the expansion, there are rumblings among the leaders of all three parties.
Eknath Shinde is trying to grab a weighty ministerial post while the BJP has also laid claims to important berths. Due to this, there is a tug-of-war between the BJP and the Shiv Sena over the cabinet allocation, leading to the expansion getting stalled. It is being said that the oath-taking ceremony will be held at the Raj Bhavan in Nagpur at 3 pm on Sunday. However, no information has been provided by the Raj Bhavan in this regard.
The Raj Bhavan hosted the last oath-taking ceremony 33 years ago in 1991 when five ministers were sworn in. The rebel Shiv Sena leaders including Chhagan Bhujbal took oath here after joining Congress.
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