Maharashtra: Will request CM, Dy CMs to carry out cabinet expansion, says BJP's Bawankule

Chandrashekhar Bawankule. File Pic

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday said that he would urge Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar to carry out a cabinet expansion before the Winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur, reported the PTI.

The Eknath Shinde government had seen the induction of Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif and Dilip Walse Patil, into the cabinet on July 2.

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"I, as Maharashtra BJP president, will request them to go in for a cabinet expansion before the Winter session of the state legislature," Chandrashekhar Bawankule said in response to media queries on induction of more ministers into the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra, according to the PTI.

Maharashtra can have a total of 43 ministers, including the chief minister, and the number at present is 29.

Earlier, in June, Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the state Cabinet would be expanded soon.

Fadnavis was replying to media queries on cabinet expansion of the Maharashtra government.

On August 9 last year, 18 ministers were inducted, while as per rules the council of ministers in the state can have a maximum of 43 members.

"Cabinet expansion till take place soon," Devendra Fadnavis had in May told reporters, as per the PTI.

(with PTI inputs)