​Maharashtra govt may delay naming mantris by 10 more days

MUMBAI: A week after CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis took oath, there is still uncertainty over cabinet expansion. Senior BJP leaders felt induction of ministers should be postponed in view of NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu's visit to Mumbai on July 14, which will be followed by the presidential elections on July 18.
Since most legislators have to be in Mumbai on July 18 for the presidential poll, the general view is that it would be appropriate if the cabinet is expanded on July 17 or 19, so that legislators will not be required to make a second trip from their constituencies for cabinet expansion.

12-15 legislators likely to be inducted in cabinet initially, says senior BJP leader
CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis may initially induct 12-15 legislators in the cabinet instead of filling up all 43 posts, according to a senior BJP leader. A full-fledged expansion may follow after the monsoon session of the state legislature. “Monsoon session was to begin on July 18, now it will have to be rescheduled to July 25, which will be decided by the speaker in consultation with CM and DCM,” he said.

About the delay, the senior BJP leader said: “Shinde and Fadnavis have taken oath and the BJP has won the vote of confidence motion by a huge margin in the legislative assembly. Under such circumstances, there is no hurry, we can wait for a few days more.”
He made it clear that it would be wrong to link the delay in cabinet expansion to the disqualification case pending before the Supreme Court, which is coming up for hearing on July 11. The Shiv Sena had moved the apex court over the appointment of the legislature party leader and whip by the Shinde faction of MLAs and sought their disqualification. The Supreme Court had ordered status quo.

The BJP leader said it was expected that after Shinde and Fadnavis were sworn in, the cabinet would be expanded on July 5. However, on the same day Fadnavis had left for his hometown Nagpur on a two-day tour. Now according to reports, Shinde too is expected to travel to his hometown near Kolhapur and later visit the annual Ekadashi pooja at Pandharpur on July 10.

Fadnavis had told mediapersons in Nagpur on Tuesday that after he returns to Mumbai on Wednesday, he will hold consultations with Shinde to finalize the appointments for the new cabinet. However, he was non-committal on the specific dates. “We feel the formation of the cabinet is not so simple, Shinde and Fadnavis will have to sit together and work out the details…both may go to New Delhi for consultations with the BJP leadership,” said a BJP leader.