The Shiv Sena is likely to get only two more ministerial berths in the state whenever chief minister Devendra Fadnavis expands his Cabinet. However, Shiv Sena will get two junior ministerial berths and not of a Cabinet rank, a senior BJP minister said. The party already has eight ministers and as per the power sharing formula between BJP and Sena, a quota of 10 berths has been fixed for the latter, the minister said.
The Cabinet expansion of Maharashtra has been on the cards for quite some time now. There are a total of 30 ministers in the Devendra Fadnavis government, including himself. Out of these, 18 are Cabinet ministers and 12 are ministers of state. The CM can add maximum 12 more ministers.
According to sources, the Shiv Sena has been bargaining for three more berths in the government, including one minister of the Cabinet rank. However, the senior BJP minister clarified that the Shiv Sena will get only two berths and that too of the rank of minister of state.
“As per our agreement, Shiv Sena was to get 10 berths in the Cabinet, including five of Cabinet rank and five ministers of state. They already have five Cabinet ministers and three ministers of state. So what they will now get is two berths of ministers of state. We are firm on our stand,” the minister said.
Explaining why the CM had not announced an expansion of his Cabinet, the minister said that the Shiv Sena had not been able to finalise its two names and so the decision was pending.
When contacted, Shiv Sena spokesperson and MLC Neelam Gorhe refused to comment on the issue of Cabinet expansion.
Another BJP minister Chandrakant Patil had last month announced that the Cabinet expansion would take place before the Winter Session of the Assembly, which concluded on December 23. However, the CM later announced that the expansion had been postponed.
According to sources, Mr Fadnavis is likely to fill 10 berths by inducting four ministers from BJP, two from Shiv Sena and one each from Swabhimani Paksha, Rashtriya Samaj Party, RPI (Athawale group) and Shiv Sangram.
