Mahayuti's pangs are over for now

After 10 days of political wrangling, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra expanded its cabinet on Sunday, just one day before the commencement of the state legislature's winter session.

The cabinet now includes 39 ministers, 33 of whom are of cabinet rank, while 6 are Ministers of State (MoS).

This significant reshuffle includes representatives from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and marks a critical moment in the government's preparations for upcoming elections. A total of 19 BJP MLAs were inducted into the cabinet, bringing the party's representation to 20, including Chief Minister Fadnavis. Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, secured 12 ministerial positions, while NCP, under Ajit Pawar, garnered 10. The cabinet's overall strength now stands at 42, just shy of the permissible limit of 43 members in the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly.

A significant aspect of this cabinet expansion is the inclusion of 19 first-time ministers, with the BJP fielding several new faces, notably state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar. Among the newly inducted ministers are four women: Pankaja Munde, Aaditi Tatkare, Madhuri Misal, and Meghna Sakore Bordikar. While Munde, Misal, and Bordikar are from BJP, Tatkare represents NCP.