At least two MLAs from the Pune district are set to become ministers in the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The two are the BJP’s Chandrakant Patil and the NCP’s Dattatray Bharne. However, Dilip Walse-Patil of the NCP, after winning his eighth consecutive Assembly election, is unlikely to be included in the Cabinet.
The Fadnavis Cabinet will be expanded on Sunday and the oath of office to the new ministers will be administered in Nagpur, Fadnavis’ hometown. Nagpur is all decked up for the occasion, and the event will take place around 4 pm, said Uday Samant of Shiv Sena.
According to BJP sources, the party, which has 132 MLAs, will have 21 ministers, while Shiv Sena, which has 57 MLAs, will have 12 ministers and the NCP, which has 41 MLAs, will have 10 ministers.
Chandrakant Patil had served as a minister in both the Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde ministries previously. He was elected from the Kothrud constituency in Pune city. Bharne defeated Harshavardhan Patil by 19,000 votes from Indapur Assembly constituency.
NCP sources said Dilip Walse-Patil himself reqeuested to the party to keep him away from the Cabinet. NCP sources said he might be appointed as Governor in some other state. However, Walse-Patil on Sunday landed in Nagpur.
”The announcement of the names will be made by our leader Ajit Pawar,” said NCP state president Sunil Tatkare, refusing to confirm or deny that Walse-Patil will be in the Fadnavis Cabinet.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Girish Mahajan said, “I was mid-air when I got a call from our party president Chandrashekhar Bawankule that I will have to take oath as the minister today. I will be becoming a minister for the third time. I am extremely happy. I have not been told about the ministry I will be in charge of. But I am ready to accept any responsibility that is given to me.”
Meanwhile, two-time Dapoli MLA Yogesh Kadam of the Shiv Sena expressed his excitement upon being chosen for a role in the Cabinet by Eknath Shinde. He stated, “This is the most significant day of my life. The Dapoli Assembly constituency will finally have a minister after 50 years, and I feel proud of this achievement. I don’t have a specific preference for any ministry, I am willing to take on the responsibility for any ministry assigned to me.”
Sena spokesperson Bharat Gogawale, who was denied a berth in the Shinde Cabinet previously, said, ”I have got a call… It is a good feeling. Who does not want to be a minister? Anyways, the Sena will have 12 ministers in the Fadnavis cabinet.”
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