Maharashtra Government Expands Cabinet with 39 New Ministers

A day before the commencement of Maharashtra's winter session, the Mahayuti government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, swore in 39 new ministers. The cabinet expansion included 33 Cabinet Ministers and 6 State Ministers. However, the much-anticipated distribution of portfolios remains under wraps.

Governor P.C. Radhakrishnan administered the oath to the newly appointed ministers in a ceremony held in Nagpur. Chief Minister Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, attended the event. The political leadership of the Mahayuti alliance—comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—was on full display. In terms of ministerial positions, the BJP secured the largest share, appointing 19 ministers. Shiv Sena followed with 11, while the NCP took 9 positions.

In a surprising reshuffle, 12 senior leaders, including Sudhir Mungantiwar (BJP) and Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP), were dropped from the Cabinet. This move paved the way for several new faces, including first-time ministers Nitesh Rane and Shivendrasinh Bhosale from BJP, Pratap Sarnaik from Shiv Sena, and Babasaheb Patil from NCP. The six new State Ministers, such as Madhuri Misal (BJP) and Yogesh Kadam (Shiv Sena), are also newcomers to the government.

A key feature of the newly formed government is a focus on accountability. CM Fadnavis announced that ministers would serve a 2.5-year term, with their performance to be audited at the end of this period. He stressed that the evaluation would help determine whether they would continue in their roles. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar supported this approach, underscoring the importance of performance in governance.​