Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet Sworn In: Meet the new Ministers

The Maharashtra cabinet was officially sworn in on Sunday in a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in Nagpur, attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oaths to the new ministers. This event is notable as it marks the first cabinet swearing-in in Nagpur since 1991, when then-Governor C Subramaniam administered oaths to Chhagan Bhujbal and other ministers.

The timing of the swearing-in, just a day before the winter session of the legislature, underscores the urgency for the new cabinet to finalize portfolio allocations. The parties have only one day to determine the roles of the MLAs before the session commences.

List of New Cabinet Ministers

1. Chandrashekhar Bawankule (BJP) – The state president of the BJP, Bawankule was the first to take the oath. He represents the Kamthi assembly constituency in Nagpur district.
2. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (BJP) – A veteran politician in his eighth term as MLA from Shirdi, Patil previously served with the Congress and Shiv Sena before joining the BJP. He was the revenue minister in the Shinde government.
3. Hasan Mushrif (NCP) – Representing Kagal in Kolhapur district, Mushrif is in his fourth term as MLA.
4. Chandrakant Patil (BJP) – Serving his second term as MLA from Kothrud in Pune district, Patil has held various ministerial roles, including revenue and public works minister in the previous Fadnavis government. He was also the Maharashtra BJP chief from 2019 to 2022.

The ceremony was graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside Ajit Pawar from the NCP and former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from Shiv Sena, who took oaths as deputy chief ministers.

Challenges in Portfolio Allocation

The prolonged discussions over portfolio allocations and the last-minute swearing-in of the cabinet can be attributed to the challenges faced by the Mahayuti alliance in balancing power among the factions of Shiv Sena and NCP, both of which are keen to secure influential positions in the government.

In the recent state elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance achieved a decisive victory, winning a total of 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats, while Shiv Sena secured 57 seats and NCP claimed 41 seats. In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance faced significant setbacks, with Congress winning only 16 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) obtaining 20, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) securing just 10 seats.