The Maharashtra government got its new council of ministers as 18 MLAs took oath as ministers. Here’s a look at who got berths in the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government.
1. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil: Was a senior Congress leader and LoP when he joined BJP during the Fadnavis regime.
2. Sudhir Mungantiwar: Senior BJP leader from Vidarbha and former minister.
3. Chandrakant Patil: BJP state president and second-most powerful leader in the party.
4. Vijay Kumar Gavit: Senior MLA from the tribal belt of Nandurbar and former minister in Congress.
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5. Girish Mahajan: A close confidante of Fadnavis. Was a minister in the Fadnavis regime as well.
6. Gulabrao Patil: A firebrand Shiv Sainik from northern Maharashtra and a former minister in the MVA government.
7. Dada Bhuse: Climbed the Shiv Sena ranks with Eknath Shinde. Former agricultural minister.
8. Sanjay Dulichand Rathod: A Shiv Sainik from Yavatmal district in Maharashtra. Held the forests, disaster management, and relief & rehabilitation portfolios.
9. Suresh Khade: Represents the SC community and helps BJP balance out caste dynamics.
10. Sandipan Bhumare: Seniormost MLA in the BJP. Played a key role in CM Shinde's rebellion. Belongs to strategically crucial Sambhaji Nagar in Aurangabad.
11. Uday Samant: A former minister in the MVA government. His car was recently attacked allegedly by Shiv Sainiks from the Uddhav Thackeray camp. He comes from the Sena's traditional bastion of Konkan belt — Ratnagiri.
12. Tanaji Sawant: MLA from Paranda constituency. Former Minister of Water Conservation.
13. Ravindra Chavan: MLA from Dombivali. Former Minister of State for Ports, Medical Education, Information and Technology, Food and Civil supplies, and Consumer protection. Played a key role in government formation.
14. Abdul Sattar: Former Congress leader who joined Shiv Sena in 2019. Represents the Sillod Constituency. Held revenue, rural development, ports development, khar land development, special assistance portfolios as a Minister of state.
15. Deepak Kesarkar: MLA from Sawantwadi constituency. Was Maharashtra's Minister of State for finance and rural development.
16. Atul Save: An MLA from Sambhajinagar, where BJP wants to trounce the AIMIM and and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Save is an unexpected name from the prominent Mali caste.
17. Shambhuraj Desai: Former MoS Home in MVA government and prominent name from western Maharashtra.
18. Mangal Prabhat Lodha: BJP’s Mumbai president and a key figure for the BMC polls.