More than five weeks after the new government in Maharashtra was sworn in on June 30, the expansion of the state cabinet is set to take place on Tuesday morning at Raj Bhawan.
In the first phase of the much-awaited expansion, around 18 ministers are likely to be administered the oath of office. While 10 to 11 are expected to be from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), six to seven leaders from CM Eknath Shinde camp will be sworn in as ministers in the first phase. A second round of expansion will be held later, sources said.
In Maharashtra, the permissible number of council of ministers, including chief minister, is 43.
CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis held a two-hour-long meeting on Monday at the former’s Nandanvan bungalow in Malabar Hills to finalise the list of candidates for the cabinet expansion.