All eyes on Maharashtra Cabinet expansion today

December 30, 2019 08:22

NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who had joined hands with BJP in an overnight coup to become deputy CM for 48 hours, may make a dramatic return on Monday as Maharashtra cabinet expansion is set to take place today.

Recently when NCP supremo Sharad Pawar was asked if Ajit would become deputy CM in the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP government, the NCP chief refused to make any clarification. A sources said that as many as 36 ministers could take oath on the day.

Currently the Uddhav Thackeray-led cabinet has six ministers besides chief minister Thackeray. The swearing-in is likely to take place at the Vidhan Bhavan (state legislature complex) in Mumbai.

State Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat had told reporters that his party's list of the leaders who would take oath as ministers was ready. When asked if the Congress was seeking the post of deputy Chief Minister, Thorat said, cryptically, "Media can run this story."

Thorat and Nitin Raut of the Congress, Eknath Shinde and Subhash Desai of the Shiv Sena and Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal of the NCP took oath along with Thackeray on November 28. According to the power-sharing formula agreed on by the three parties, the Shiv Sena would have 16 ministers (apart from chief minister), NCP 14 and the Congress 12.

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