DC Edit | Cabinet expansion proves challenging for Maha CM
By : DC Comment
Update: 2024-12-16 18:40 GMT
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has finally formed his full fledged Cabinet. It took him 11 days after taking oath as the CM to finalise names of his Cabinet members. During the entire process, he had to consult with Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar and also get approval from his Delhi bosses, for which he made multiple visits to the national capital. It shows that despite ‘Mahayuti’ alliance winning a massive mandate, the road ahead of Mr Fadnavis is not going to provide a smooth journey.
The Maharashtra Cabinet has 42 ministers, including the CM and two DCMs. While Mr Fadnavis has included 19 first time ministers, several senior leaders from all three parties — Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party — are sulking after being overlooked.
Prominent BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar, who is close to Union minister Nitin Gadkari, has made his displeasure known and claimed that he was kept in dark till the last day. NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who is the senior most OBC leader in Maharashtra across the parties, has rejected his party’s offer to go to Rajya Sabha. Shiv Sena’s Tanaji Sawant has reportedly returned to his hometown from Nagpur after realising that he will not be in the state Cabinet.
Similarly, there are reports of protests and resignations of BJP leaders from various parts of the state. Mr Fadnavis and his deputies will have to devise a strategy to assuage the sulking leaders, who can be seen creating trouble for the government in the coming days.
One strategy the Mahayuti leaders seem to have is the ‘two and half years’ formula. Mr Shinde and Mr Pawar have publicly stated that some of the current ministers will be asked to resign after two-and-a-half years so that other legislators can be given a chance. Mr Fadnavis was more diplomatic about it. He has clarified that there will be a performance audit of all ministers and there could be changes based on the performance.
However, at present it looks like a ploy to give hopes to those who have been ignored. Mr Fadnavis has also kept one seat open. The maximum strength of Maharashtra Cabinet can be 43, including the CM. The Mahayuti leaders have not specified which party will get the 43rd Cabinet berth. In all probability, it will never be filled and used as a dangling carrot for their legislators.
Women voters played a decisive part in Mahayuti’s victory, but there are only four women ministers in the 42-member Cabinet. Out of 36 districts in Maharashtra, 16 have no representation in the Fadnavis Cabinet. It shows that in spite of his best efforts, the Maharashtra chief minister has not managed to balance all aspects, which has also left many legislators disappointed. With less than 50 MLAs on the Opposition benches, Mr Fadnavis’s bigger challenges are going to be from his own party and alliance partners. His longevity in CM office will depend on how long he can please his bosses and how long he can keep his alliance partners and party legislators under a tight leash.