Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion: 39 Ministers Sworn In with a Performance-Based Tenure Model

The much-anticipated Cabinet expansion of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra took place on Sunday in Nagpur, where 39 ministers were sworn in. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced that the ministers’ tenure would be limited to two and a half years, with their continuation subject to a performance review. This approach is expected to create accountability and encourage high performance among ministers. Additionally, the mid-term reshuffle is likely to open doors for MLAs who were left out of the current cabinet.

Speaking at an NCP event ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Pawar stated, “In this government, we have decided to assign a tenure of two and a half years to some Cabinet and State Ministers. This will ensure more leaders get opportunities, and justice is served to more districts.” Pawar further mentioned that this arrangement was unanimously agreed upon by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and himself. Leaders from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena confirmed that a similar directive was conveyed to the newly inducted ministers.

Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan administered the oath to 39 MLAs, with 33 assuming Cabinet positions and 6 sworn in as Ministers of State. Including the Chief Minister and two Deputy Chief Ministers, the total strength of the Maharashtra Cabinet now stands at 42, one short of the constitutional limit. This marks the first time since the 2019 Assembly elections that the Cabinet has reached near-full strength.

The BJP secured the largest share in the expanded Cabinet, with 19 ministers (16 Cabinet and 3 Ministers of State), followed by Shiv Sena with 11 (9 Cabinet and 2 Ministers of State), and the NCP with 9 (8 Cabinet and 1 Minister of State).

In a significant move, all three ruling parties excluded several senior leaders from the previous Cabinet. The BJP dropped Sudhir Mungantiwar, Ravindra Chavan, Vijaykumar Gavit, and Suresh Khade. Shiv Sena omitted Tanaji Sawant, Deepak Kesarkar, and Abdul Sattar, while the NCP excluded Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse-Patil, Dharmarao Atram, Anil Patil, and Sanjay Bansode.

Several first-time ministers were inducted in the Cabinet. From the BJP, Nitesh Rane, Shivendrasinh Bhosle, Jaikumar Gore, Sanjay Sawkare, and Akash Phundkar were appointed. Shiv Sena added Pratap Sarnaik, Sanjay Shirsat, Bharat Gogawale, and Prakash Abitkar, while Narhari Zirwal, Makarand Jadhav-Patil, and Babasaheb Patil were sworn in from the NCP.

This performance-based tenure model underscores the government’s focus on accountability and equitable representation across districts.