Maha cabinet expansion to take place before monsoon session: Shambhuraj

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Shambhuraj Desai on Tuesday said the much awaited cabinet expansion will take place before the state legislature's monsoon session or even before that.

The monsoon session's schedule has not yet been announced.

Talking to reporters, Desai also said that seat-sharing between the Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Lok Sabha polls due next year has not been finalised.

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats. In 2019, the Shiv Sena (then undivided) contested 23 seats and won 18.

Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the state cabinet will be expanded soon and the timeline will be decided by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

On August 9 last year, 18 ministers were inducted in the Shinde-Fadnavis government after it came to power in June, while as per rules the council of ministers in the state can have a maximum of 43 members.

However, neither Shinde nor Fadnavis have given a specific timeline for the expansion of the council of ministers.

Desai said, The chief minister and deputy chief minister have said the cabinet will be expanded soon. As a colleague of CM Eknath Shinde, we feel cabinet expansion will take place before the monsoon session or even before that."

Notably, CM Shinde on Monday said the Shiv Sena and the BJP will contest all future elections together, including the Lok Sabha, Assembly and civic polls.

On seat-sharing with the BJP, Desai said the BJP has not officially said how many seats it will contest in Maharashtra.

Our state leaders will decide on a formula and the final approval will be given by the Sena-BJP's central committee. Our demand is that whichever seats we have won or contested on our symbol should stay with us. We have no dispute over seat-sharing, Desai said.

Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Tanaji Sawant on Monday said the (undivided) Shiv Sena contested 23 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 general elections, winning 18.

"In the next Lok Sabha polls, which is less than a year away, we will do the same. The Shiv Sena will contest 23 seats," Sawant said.

In June last year, a revolt led by Eknath Shinde against the Shiv Sena leadership resulted in a split in the party and collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Shinde later joined hands with the BJP and became the CM.