With the formation of the new government in the state, now there are plans to expand the cabinet. Which accounts will be given to which leaders and will the rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena be included in the cabinet? However, a week after the swearing-in ceremony, no decision has been taken on the expansion of the cabinet. According to sources, the BJP is likely to retain important accounts. The BJP will retain the important portfolios of Home, Finance and Revenue in the cabinet, while the Urban Development and Irrigation Department is likely to be handed over to the Eknath Shinde faction.
Shinde: The Fadnavis government has won the confidence vote by a margin of 164 votes. A total of 164 MLAs have voted in favor of the government. Forty rebel MLAs and 10 independent MLAs voted for the Shinde faction. So, 106 BJP MLAs and independents voted in favor of Shinde-Fadnavis government.
Though the BJP has more than double the number of MLAs from the Shinde faction, the BJP has handed over the Chief Minister's post to Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis to the Deputy Chief Minister's post. Therefore, there is talk that BJP will get a big share in the cabinet. The BJP is likely to get 28 cabinet and minister of state posts, while the Eknath Shinde faction is likely to get 13 accounts. Two of the 13 smaller parties are likely to go to independents who support the Shinde faction.
When there was a BJP-Sena alliance government, Devendra Fadnavis had kept the home department to himself. Therefore, it is likely that the BJP will retain the Home, Revenue, Finance and Public Works Department accounts.
In the Mahavikas Aghadi government, Eknath Shinde had an account in the Urban Development and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). At that time, he had handled big projects like Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway. Therefore, Shinde Group will keep its own Urban Development and MSRDC account. In the previous BJP-Sena government, the BJP had accounts for both the urban development and irrigation departments.