Cabinet expansion before monsoon session?

If Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah approves then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will initiate a small cabinet expansion before the monsoon session of the state legislature schedule from July 4 at Nagpur.

The expansion has been necessitated by the demise of senior cabinet member Pandurang Fundkar, who had held the portfolio of agriculture and the resignation of Dr Deepak Sawant, minister for public health and senior Shiv Sena leader. However, Fadnavis is reported to have asked Dr Sawant to continue to hold the charge for the next six months.

The sudden demise of Fundkar, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on May 31 has left a vacancy from the BJP quota in the state cabinet. Whereas, senior Sena minister Dr Sawant tendered his resignation after being denied the ticket by his party to contest the June 21 election to the Mumbai division Graduates constituency in the Legislative Council. Interestingly, the term of Dr Sawant as the Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) is set to expire on July 7.

"There is provision that anyone can hold a ministerial post for six months even if he or she is not member of any house including upper and lower house. But he has to become a member of any house within six months of period," said an official from state legislature. Sources from Sena, however, haven’t confirmed about the extension given to Dr Sawant.

Sources in the BJP said senior BJP legislator Dr Sanjay Kute (Jalgaon Jamod from Buldhana district) is most likely to be inducted into the cabinet to fill the vacancy caused by the demise of Fundkar. Dr Kute (49) is a third time legislator from Buldhana district the same as the late Fundkar.

The BJP will also have to contend with the vacancy caused by the demise of late Fundkar who was the member of the Legislative Council. He was elected from the Elected by members of legislative assembly MLAs (EMLA) constituency on April 25, 2014 and his term was to end on April 24, 2020.

If Dr Sawant is allowed by the Sena to continue in the state cabinet, then he will be the second such minister after Gangadhar Gade, former Republican Party of India (Athawale faction) leader from Aurangabad to do so. Gade was a minister of state for Public Transport in the 1999 cabinet headed by late Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. Gade had to resign after he failed to get elected as member to either of the two houses of the state legislature within six months.

Sources in the BJP say senior BJP legislator Dr Sanjay Kute is most likely to be inducted into the cabinet to fill the vacancy caused by the demise of Pandurang Fundkar. Dr Kute (49) is a third time legislator from same Buldhana district as the late Fundkar.