Fadnavis reshuffles Cabinet, drops 6 ministers

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has reshuffled his cabinet by inducting 13 others and dropping six including State Home Minister. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the former Congressmen and the leader of the opposition, was also sworn-in as a Cabinet minister

Mumbai: With an eye on the upcoming Assembly elections in four months, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday reshuffled his cabinet by inducting 13 others and dropping six including Prakash Mehta who held the Housing portfolio.

All the ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor C.V. Rao at a function in Raj Bhavan. The 13 comprise 10 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two from Shiv Sena and one from ally the Republican Party of India (A) (RPI-A).

As expected, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the former Congressmen and the leader of the opposition, was sworn-in as a Cabinet minister at Raj Bhavan.

Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the former Congressmen and the leader of the opposition taking oath as a Cabinet minister of Maharashtra

Jaidatta Kshirsagar and Tanaji Sawant of Shiv Sena, besides Aashish Shelar, Sanjay Kute, Suresh Bhau Khade, Anil Bonde and Ashok Uike of BJP also took oath as Cabinet ministers.

BJP leaders Yogesh Sagar, Sanjay Bhegde, Parinay Fuke, and Atul Save, besides Avinash Mahtekar of RPI-A were sworn-in as ministers of state.

An official in the Chief Minister's Office said that Prakash Mehta and five other ministers quit their posts. The other ministers who resigned were Rajkumar Badole, Vishnu Sawra, Dilip Kamble, Praveen Pote and Amrish Atram.

With this, on the eve of the Maharashtra Assembly's monsoon session starting on Monday, Fadnavis has consolidated the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena's position before the upcoming elections.