39 Ministers sworn into Maha cabinet, Devendra Fadnavis retains Home

39 MLAs were sworn into the Maharashtra cabinet on Sunday, December 15. The swearing-in ceremony, held in Nagpur, marks a major step in the power-sharing arrangements between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in the Mahayuti alliance.

State BJP president Chandrasekhar Bawankule, along with prominent leaders from the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), took the oath of office. The event comes just a day before the week-long Winter Session of the state legislature commences on December 16.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has retained the crucial Home portfolio amidst earlier disagreements with Shiv Sena, leads the coalition government. His deputies include Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP’s Ajit Pawar, underlining the diverse yet unified structure of the Mahayuti alliance.

The expansion follows the Mahayuti's resounding victory in the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, where the coalition secured 230 out of 288 seats. The BJP led the tally with 132 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 57, and the NCP with 41.

The new ministers represent a wide range of constituencies and portfolios, reflecting the state’s political diversity. Key figures such as Pankaja Munde (BJP), Hasan Mushrif (NCP), and Sanjay Rathod (Shiv Sena) have been included in the cabinet. Several prominent names, including Gulabrao Patil, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, and Girish Mahajan, are expected to play critical roles in the government.

The Winter Session of the legislature is expected to witness the formalization of power-sharing agreements, with portfolios distributed across the alliance partners. The inclusion of Chandrasekhar Bawankule and other experienced leaders underscores the BJP’s focus on strengthening its governance structure.