Maha Cabinet Expansion: Fadnavis Gets Home, Finance; CM Shinde Retains Urban Development

After recent political turbulence and with 18 ministers taking oath recently in Maharashtra, the western state's Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday announced the allocation of portfolios to newly appointed ministers in the state cabinet with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra bagging major roles and ministries.

Shinde will look after general administration, urban development, Information and Public Relations, Public Works Department and several other major portfolios not allocated to other ministers.

Fadnavis will hold the portfolios of Home, Finance and Planning, Law and Justice, Water Resources and Command Area Development, Housing, Energy, Protocol.

Senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil was allotted higher and technical education, textile industry and parliamentary work while Ravindra Chavhan was assigned ministry of Public Works (excluding Public Enterprises), Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection.

Other major departments that were allocated to BJP leaders included Girish Mahajan as chief of Village Development and Panchayati Raj development, Medical Education, Sports and Youth Welfare.

With Suresh Khade leading the Labour department, Mangal Prabhat Lodha became the chief of Tourism, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Women and Child Development.

Radhakrishna Vikhe was entrusted with the portfolio of revenue department, animal husbandry and dairy development.

The department of forestry, cultural activities, and fisheries were assigned to Sudhir Mungantiwar.

The allocation of Tribal development was done to Vijaykumar Gavit and the department of Cooperation, Other Backward and Bahujan Welfare was given to Atul Save.

The leaders from Shiv Sena allocated portfolios include Dada Bhuse, Shambhuraje Desai, Sandeepan Bhumre, Uday Samant, Tanaji Sawant, Abdul Sattar, Deepak Kesarkar, Gulabrao Patil and Sanjay Rathod.

The department of ports and mining was allocated to Dada Bhuse while Shambhuraje Desai was assigned with the state excise department.

Sandeepan Bhumre was assigned the department of employment guarantee scheme and Horticulture.

With Uday Samant was given the Industries portfolio, Tanaji Sawant was assigned Public Health and Welfare department.

The state chief entrusted Abdul Sattar with the Agriculture department and Deepak Kesarkar was allotted with the department of school education and Marathi language.

With Gulabrao Patil being assigned with water supply and sanitation and Sanjay Rathod with Food and drugs administration.

All these portfolios allocated have been announced after approval by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

Earlier, the expansion of the Maharashtra Cabinet took place on August 9 with a total of 18 MLAs -9 each from BJP and from the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction sworn in as ministers in a grand ceremony in Mumbai's Raj Bhavan.

(With Inputs from ANI)

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