Maha cabinet expansion after monsoon session: Danve

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will expand his Cabinet after monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature is concluded, state BJP president Raosaheb Danve said today.

"There will be a cabinet expansion, but, after the monsoon session (of the state legislature)," Danve told PTI.

In a departure from convention, the monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature will be held in Nagpur instead of Mumbai from July 4 to July 20.

Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, hosts the winter session of the state legislature every year while monsoon and budget sessions are held in Mumbai.

When asked about possible inductions into the cabinet, Danve said the BJP's core committee will hold a meeting after the session and finalise the names.

"Nothing can be said about the names of the inductees at this juncture," he said.

Senior BJP leader and Finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had recently said that names of new ministers would be finalised after holding talks with allies of the BJP.

Maharashtra had 39 ministers and Ministers of State.

However, after the demise of agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar, the number has come down to 38.

The ruling BJP has the maximum number of ministers, followed by its bickering ally Shiv Sena. Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) both have one berth each.

The state cabinet can accommodate a maximum of 42 ministers (as per the constitutional upper limit of 15 per cent of the number of MLAs).

Maharashtra has total 288 MLAs.