Maharashtra cabinet expansion: The much awaited cabinet expansion of the BJP-led Maharashtra government is taking place on Sunday, December 15, with the new ministers taking the oath of office at a ceremony in Nagpur.

Around 32 ministers from Mahayuti (BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) are likely to take oath ceremony which is scheduled for 4:00 pm.

The oath ceremony comes nearly 10 days after Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister with Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar as his deputies.

The council of ministers in Maharashtra can have a maximum of 43 members, including the chief minister.

The Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the state. The BJP led with 132 seats, followed by Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 57 and Ajit Pawar’s NCP getting 41.

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3:02 PM

Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde arrives in Nagpur ahead of the state cabinet expansion.

12 MLAs from Shiv Sena to take oath

Shiv Sena MLA Bharatshet Gogawale today said that the oath-taking ceremony will take place at 4 pm today. Twelve MLAs from his party including himself will take oath as ministers of which seven are new faces, he said.

“Oath ceremony will take place at 4 pm today. So, we have all come to Nagpur. Seven people are new (who will take oath as ministers) and 5 are being repeated,” Gogawale told ANI.

Girish Mahajan to take oath

BJP MLA Girish Mahajan mentioned that he has been selected as minister. He was intimated about this through a call from the state BJP Chief.

“State BJP Chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule called me and told me that I have to take oath (as Maharashtra Minister) at 4 pm. I will take oath as the minister for the third time. I express gratitude to the party,” Mahajan told ANI.

Delighted, says Pankaja Munde ahead of oath taking

BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde said, “I am delighted that I am getting the opportunity to work in the team of CM Devendra Fadnavis once again. I express gratitude to PM Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda and…”

Fadnavis pays floral tribute

Earlier in the days, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnaivs held a roadshow in Nagpur and paid floral tribute to Babasaheb Ambedkar on Sunday.Devendra Fadnaivs’ wife Amruta Fadnavis and Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule joined the roadshow.