New Maha Cabinet Announced: Fadnavis Retains Home, Shinde Takes Urban Development, Ajit Pawar Manages Finance

Nagpur, Dec 21, (NationPress) The moment of anticipation has arrived. Governor CP Radhakrishnan officially sanctioned the ministerial portfolio distribution as proposed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This announcement followed the conclusion of a weeklong winter session.

Fadnavis will oversee home, energy excluding renewable energy, law and judiciary, general administration, information and publicity, and other departments not assigned to any other minister. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will manage urban development, housing, and public works (public enterprises), while Deputy CM Ajit Pawar will handle planning, finance, and excise.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule will oversee the revenue department, and Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil will manage the water resources department, including the Godavari and Krishna Valley Development Corporation. Hasan Mushrif will be responsible for medical education, Chandrakant Patil for higher and technical education and parliamentary affairs, Girish Mahajan for water resources including Vidarbha, Tapi, Konkan Development Corporation, and disaster management.

Ganesh Naik will oversee forest management, Gulabrao Patil will manage water supply and sanitation, Dadaji Bhuse will be in charge of school education, Dhananjay Munde will manage food and civil supplies and consumer protection, Mangallrabhat Lodha will handle skill development, employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation, while Uday Samant will take care of industries and Marathi language.

Jaykumar Rawal will manage marketing and protocol, Pankaja Munde will handle environment, climate change, and animal husbandry, and Ashok Uike will oversee tribal development.

Atul Save will be responsible for OBC welfare, dairy development, and renewable energy, Shabhuraj Desai for tourism, mining, and ex-servicemen welfare, Ashish Shelar will handle information technology and cultural affairs, Dattatray Bharne will manage sports, youth welfare, minorities development, and Aukaf, Aditi Tatkare will oversee women and child development, and Shivendraraje Bhosale will manage public works excluding public enterprises.

Manikrao Kokate will be responsible for agriculture, Jaykumar Gore for rural development and panchayat raj, Narhari Zirwal will handle food and drug administration and special assistance, Sanjay Savkare for textiles, Sanjay Shirsat for social justice, Pratap Sarnaik for transport, and Bharatsheth Gogawale will oversee employment guarantee, horticulture, and salt pan land development. Makrand Jadhav Patil will manage relief and rehabilitation, Nitesh Rane will handle fisheries and ports, Akash Fundkar for labour, Babasaheb Patil for cooperation, and Prakash Abitkar for public health and family welfare.

The Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal will oversee finance, planning, agriculture, relief and rehabilitation, law and judiciary, and labour, while Minister of State Madhuri Misal will manage urban development, transport, social justice, medical education, minorities development, and Aukaf. Minister of State Pankaj Bhoyar will handle home (rural), housing, school education, cooperation, and mining, while Meghna Sakore Bordikar will be responsible for public health, family welfare, water supply and sanitation, energy, women and child development.

Minister of State Indranil Naik will manage industries, public works, higher and technical education, tribal development, tourism, soils, and water conservation, while Yogesh Kadam will oversee home (urban), revenue, rural development and panchayat raj, food and civil supplies and consumer protection, and food and drug administration.

Fadnavis had expanded his cabinet with the induction of 39 ministers on December 15. Although he had stated that the portfolio allocation would be completed in two days, it faced delays due to intense negotiations among the MahaYuti partners. The strength of the Fadnavis-led cabinet is 42 against 43 permissible under the legislative norms.

Shinde insisted on receiving home, revenue, and housing, but the BJP rejected his demands, ultimately agreeing to allocate him housing. Ajit Pawar retained planning and finance and additionally received the excise department.