12 Shiv Sena MLAs to be sworn in as ministers in Maharashtra cabinet expansion today

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Twelve Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from Shiv Sena are poised to take the oath as ministers in the expanded Maharashtra Cabinet today.

According to ANI, Shiv Sena MLA Bharatshet Gogawale confirmed that the ceremony will take place at 4 pm today. He shared that seven of the twelve MLAs taking the oath will be new faces, while five others will be returning to their ministerial roles.

Gogawale, speaking to ANI, stated, "The oath-taking ceremony will take place at 4 pm today. All the selected individuals have come to Nagpur for this occasion. Seven are new to the ministerial role, while five are being reappointed."

BJP MLA Girish Mahajan, who will also be part of the cabinet expansion, said he had received a call from the state BJP Chief, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, informing him of his selection as a minister. Mahajan, who will be taking the oath as a minister for the third time, expressed his gratitude to the party for the opportunity, stating, "I was called by State BJP Chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who informed me that I would be taking the oath at 4 pm today. I will be serving as a minister for the third time and I am deeply grateful to the party."

In response to the cabinet expansion, Shiv Sena MLA Yogesh Ramdas Kadam expressed his hopes of being appointed as a minister. "If I am allowed to serve as a minister, I would be very grateful to Eknath Shinde. As the youngest MLA in Shiv Sena, I will be thankful for the opportunity to serve the people of Maharashtra and the Konkan region," Kadam remarked. He also noted that he would carry out any responsibilities assigned to him to the best of his ability. "The official list will be presented to the Governor in the next hour or two," Kadam added.

BJP MLA Shivendra Raje Bhosale, however, revealed that he had not yet received a call from party leadership, though he added that all party workers would comply with the decisions made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. "I have not received any phone call yet. Let's see what happens. Workers in the constituency have expectations, but we will all abide by the decision of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis," Bhosale said.

Similarly, Shiv Sena MLA Uday Samant also shared that he had not received any communication yet. However, he conveyed that those selected by Eknath Shinde for ministerial roles would take on their responsibilities with dedication. "Those who will be given the responsibility will shoulder it well. The official list will be made public shortly," Samant noted.

The cabinet expansion comes after more than two weeks since the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his two deputies, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, on December 5.

The delay in naming the cabinet had drawn criticism from opposition parties, as the Mahayuti alliance, despite securing an overwhelming majority, had refrained from finalising the appointments. The alliance's performance in the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 was a historic one, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti securing a landslide victory of 235 seats. BJP emerged as the single largest party with 132 seats, while Shiv Sena secured 57 seats and the Nationalist Congress Party garnered 41 seats, according to ANI.