Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion: Ajit Pawar sworn in as Dy CM, 35 new ministers including Aditya Thackeray take oath
Mumbai/UNI: NCP leader Ajit Pawar was on Monday sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra along with 35 new ministers, including Cabinet and Minister of State ranks.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers in the Vidhan Bhavan precinct.
In November, Mr Pawar took oath as the Deputy CM when he shook hands with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as the head of government in an early morning ceremony.
Both the political stalwarts couldn't retain their posts as the BJP government fell within three days after Mr Pawar quit his post citing "personal reasons" and returned to the NCP camp.
This is for the fourth time that the 60-year old Ajit Pawar – nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar has become the DyCM – first in November 2010, then October 2012, later in November 2019 for barely 80 hours, and again today.
The only other leader to hold the post more than once is his senior NCP colleague- Chhagan Bhujbal in October 1999 and December 2008.
The State cabinet expansion finally happened today nearly after a month when the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi government was installed under the leadership of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.
Among the newly inducted ministers, 26 are of cabinet and 10 of Minister of State rank.
Aditya Thackeray has been made a Cabinet minister along with other Maha Vikas Aghadi heavyweights like former chief minister Ashok Chavan, ex-Leader of Opposition in Council Dhananjay Munde, ex-Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil, NCP National Spokesperson Nawab Malik.
Dhananjay Munde, a staunch supporter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, was sworn as state cabinet minister in the Sena-led Mahavikas Agadhi government.
Munde, the nephew of BJP mass leader late Gopinath Munde and son of former Beed ZP president late Panditanna Munde, worked as the BJP's Youth wing Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha president in Maharashtra. He was also the member of ZP of Beed district during 2002-2007. Following differences between him and his uncle Gopinath Munde, he switched over to the NCP in 2012 in the presence of Sharad Pawar.
The cabinet has three women – NCP’s Aditi Tatkare (MoS) and Congress’ Varsha Gaikwad and Yashomati Thakur, both Cabinet rank – though the Sena has no woman nominee.
For the first since 2014, the ministry has a staggering four Muslims – Shiv Sena’s Abdul Sattar Nabi Shaikh (MoS), NCP’s Nawab Malik, Hasan Mushrif, and Congress’ Aslam Shaikh, all Cabinet rank.
Other big names include Anil Parab, Vijay Wadettiwar, Jitendra Awhad, Anil Deshmukh, Amit (Vilasrao) Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, and MoS’ Satej Patil, Vishwajeet Kadam and Bachu Kadu.
A total of seven legislators from the Marathwada, which has 46 Assembly seats out of 288 in Maharashtra, region were sworn-in as ministers in the state government's cabinet expansion.
Congress party's prominent leaders Ashok Chavan (Bhokar seat) and Amit Deshmukh(Latur city seat) got the coveted posts while the NCP's Dhananjay Munde (Parli seat), Rajesh Tope(Ambad seat) and Sanjay Bansod (Udgir seat) took oaths.
On the Sena aisle, Abdul Sattar (Sillod seat) and Sandipan Bumare (Paithan seat) formally joined the CM Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
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