Fadnavis gets home portfolio, CM keeps urban development

Days after the Maharashtra cabinet expansion, portfolios have been allocated to ministers, with chief minister Eknath Shinde keeping the urban development ministry and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis getting the home, finance, water resources, housing and power departments.

Shinde, who expanded his two-member cabinet on August 9 by inducting 18 ministers, also kept the public works (public projects) and transport departments.

A statement from the chief minister’s office (CMO) said BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil will be the new revenue minister in the new Shiv SenaBJP government in the state.

BJP minister Sudhir Mungantiwar got the portfolio of the forest ministry, which he had handled earlier. Former state BJP president Chandrakant Patil is the new minister for higher and technical education. Patil will also look after parliamentary affairs.

Devendra Fadnavis

From the Shinde-led group of Shiv Sena rebels, Deepak Kesarkar is the new minister for school education, while Abdul Sattar has been given the agriculture portfolio.

Maharashtra saw a lapse of 40 days between the swearing-in of new ministers and Shinde and Fadnavis taking oath after Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation.

A total of 18 ministers had taken oath in the state in the Shinde-Fadnavis balancing act, which came after multiple Delhi visits by the two leaders.

Nine members from each side have been sworn in. The state cabinet has a total of 43 berths and more members are set to be added later. Some reports have suggested that Sanjay Shirsat - one of the Sena rebels - was unhappy at not being included.