The Maharashtra cabinet expansion is likely to happen this week and the series of meetings have already started between the top leaders – Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. According to reports, while the BJP has almost finalized names of its MLAs likely to make it to the Maharashtra Cabinet while the Shiv Sena is likely not to field three of its leaders who were ministers in the previous cabinet. On the other hand, Ajit Pawar met Praful Patel to discuss the ongoing developments. Patel is likely to get a berth in the Modi cabinet whenever the next expansion takes place at the centre.

The Shiv Sena is likely to decide in view of complaints about their performance and inaccessibility, a party leader told PTI. The party is likely to induct fresh faces in their place. An aide of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and party MLA said several legislators raised concern regarding certain ministers. They said the three former ministers – one each from Konkan, western Maharashtra and Marathwada – were inaccessible even to the party MLAs. 

“We have raised this issue with the deputy CM (Shinde) and demanded that they should not be inducted in the new cabinet. These ministers did not even meet their own party MLAs,” the aide said. This development reflects the churn within the Shiv Sena which has 57 MLAs. In a related development, Shinde’s office said he has not gone to Delhi to hold talks on cabinet expansion. 

Shinde was not scheduled to go to Delhi, his office added. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis left for the national capital on Wednesday, his office said, adding that it was a courtesy visit, the first after taking over the reins of the state again. He was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. 

The aide also said that the cabinet expansion of the new government is likely to take place by December 14, just before the winter session of the state legislature commences. Shiv Sena MLA and spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said CM Fadnavis has made it clear that the cabinet expansion will take place before the winter session of the state legislature which begins from December 16. On complaints and possible exclusion of some former ministers in the previous government, Shirsat said, “Such grievances must have reached Shinde saheb. He is the chief leader of the party and he will decide on it.” (With PTI inputs)