Maharashtra Cabinet Exoansion Live Updates: Soon after his much-awaited mini Cabinet expansion with the induction of 18 members on Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde faced flak from various quarters for not including a woman in the team, but inducting three allegedly tainted legislators, and excluding Independents and smaller parties.
Despite the presence of several women MLAs in both Shinde group (three) and the BJP (12), the two sides have ignored them -- at least for now -- 41 days after the new government was sworn-in on June 30.
However, three allegedly scarred MLAs, two from Shinde camp and one from the BJP, are now ministers -- Abdul Sattar, Sanjay Rathod (Shinde group) and BJP's Vijaykumar Gavit.
Shiv Sena leader Kishori Pednekar and BJP's Chitra Wagh have slammed the Chief Minister for inducting Rathod - who was a minister in the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by former CM Uddhav Thackeray.
Rathod was forced to quit in February 2021 following allegations after the death of a Pune-based social media star, Pooja Chavan.
Wagh on Tuesday vowed to continue her fight to ensure justice for the victim, while Pednekar said the same BJP had sought Rathod's removal from the Cabinet and now they have taken him back.
Sattar's family member's name has cropped up in the ongoing probe into the TET scam, but he has denied any involvement and expressed readiness to face any probe.
BJP's Gavit was named in the alleged Rs 6,000 crore scam in the tribal department between 2002 and 2006 that was later probed by the Justice M.G. Gaikwad panel.
Meanwhile, NCP Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took potshots at Shinde-Fadnavis for failing to include any women in the Cabinet.
"I wish Shinde-Fadnavis had followed the Prime Minister. It is sad that among the 18 ministers sworn-in on Tuesday, no woman has taken oath," said Sule, referring to how Maharashtra was the first state in the country to give reservation to women who comprise 50 per cent of the population.
"Spot a woman on the dais. Hint: Give up, there were none," Chaturvedi tweeted with a picture of the all-male oath ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan.
There are presently 28 women lawmakers comprising 25 MLAs in the 288-member lower house besides three MLCs in the upper house of the state legislature.
12:30 pm Girish Mahajan, Suresh Khade, Ravindra Chauhan, Atul Moreshwar Save, Mangal Prabhat Lodha of BJP, and Gulabrao Patil, Dada Bhuse, Sanjay Rathod, Sandipan Bhumare, Uday Samant, Tanaji Sawant, Abdul Sattar, Deepak Kesarkar, Shambhuraj Shivajirao Desai of Shiv Sena rebel group take oath as Ministers.
11:25 am The swearing in ceremony of ministers in Shinde cabinet has begun at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
The first to take oath as minister was Ahmednagar strongman Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil followed by Chandrakant Patil, Sudhir Mungantiwar and Vijay Kumar Gavit - all from BJP.
09:30 am MLA from Malegaon Outer and former minister Dada Bhuse and 08 others from Eknath Shinde group of rebel Shiv Sainiks are all set to sworn in as ministers today i.e. Tuesday August 09, 2022 at 11:00 am.
Along with 9 MLAs from Shinde Camp, 9 MLAs from BJP will also take oath as ministers in a ceremony to be organised at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
Among the BJP MLAs who are set to become ministers in the Shinde Cabinet are Girish Mahajan from Jalgaon, Maharashtra State BJP President Chandrakant Patil, rebel Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Sudhir Mungantiwar.
Ministers from Shinde Camp (Probables)
Dada Bhuse, Gulabrao Patil, Uday Samant, Shambhuraje Desai, Sandipan Bhumare, Bharat Gogawale, Sanjay Shirsat and Bacchu Kadu.
Ministers from BJP (Probables)
Chandrakant Patil, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Girish Mahajan, Suresh Khade, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Atul Save, Ravindra Chavan and Vijay Gavit.
The portfolios of the ministers will be announced by today evening.
08:30 am Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will carry out a mini-cabinet expansion, 40 days after he ran a 2-man government along with Bharatiya Janata Party's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, here on Tuesday.
Nationalist Congress Party's Leader of Opposition said that the cabinet expansion will be on a small scale to enable smooth conduct of the upcoming Legislature Session.
"Fadnavis called me to inform and also invited me to attend the oath ceremony. I shall be present there," Pawar told mediapersons.
As per available indications, around a dozen MLAs from both the Shinde Group and BJP are set to join the first fledgling cabinet team to be augmented by the CM.
The move follows pressures from the ruling allies and pinpricks from the Opposition NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena, and others.
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