Devendra Fadnavis

The cabinet expansion of the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government is likely to take place by December 14, a senior BJP leader said on Wednesday. Fadnavis left for Delhi on Wednesday, his office said, adding it was a courtesy visit, the first after becoming the chief minister, as he would be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. Talking to PTI, a BJP leader said the Shiv Sena would not get the home department and was also unlikely to be allocated the revenue portfolio. Talks are getting delayed because three parties (Mahayuti allies BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP) are involved, the politician said. "The cabinet expansion is likely by December 14. The allocation of home department to Shiv Sena is ruled out. The Shiv Sena may get urban development, but is unlikely to get revenue," said the leader, who did not wish to be named. The BJP is expected to keep 21 to 22 ministerial berths, including the CM's post, the leader said

Death toll in the Kurla rose to 7 on Tuesday and the number of injured people increases to 49, according to Fire Department officials

Five days after assuming office, the Mahayuti alliance government in Maharashtra led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday comfortably won a confidence vote in the state assembly. The trust motion, tabled by Shiv Sena MLA Uday Samant and others, was passed by a voice vote on the last day of the three-day special assembly session. Some opposition members were absent when the trust motion was approved in the assembly. They included Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray. On December 4, when Governor C P Radhakrishnan handed Fadnavis the letter inviting him to form the government, he had stipulated in the document that the BJP leader must clear the trust motion in the House in 21 days, sources said. Speaker Rahul Narwekar, elected unopposed for a second straight term earlier in the day, announced that the trust motion has been approved by the newly-constituted House. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP 'Mahayuti' coalition has a commanding majority of 230 seats in the 288-member assembly, w

BJP-led govt has pledged to develop a metro network of 1,000 km across different cities of state

The match is being played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, but the entire financial world is watching it

BJP's Rahul Narwekar is poised to be elected unopposed as the speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly, with the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) deciding not to put up a contest. Narwekar, who was the speaker in the 14th assembly for two and a half years and gave the key verdicts tied to the Shiv Sena and NCP, was reelected from the Colaba assembly seat in Mumbai. Accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Narwekar filed his nomination before the legislature secretary Jitendra Bhole on Sunday. MVA leaders met Fadnavis and urged him to follow the protocol of giving the deputy speaker's post to the opposition. They also sought the post of the leader of the opposition. The speaker's election will be formally announced in the House on Monday. This will be followed by a floor test to prove the new government's strength. Governor CP Radhakrishnan will then address the joint session of both Houses of the state ...

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has lost relevance and is not needed by the ruling Mahayuti, Union minister Ramdas Athawale said on Sunday. The MNS failed to win a single seat in the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, which were swept by the Mahayuti, the losers including the party chief's son Amit Thackeray from Mumbai's Mahim constituency. "Raj Thackeray thought power could not come without him. His dreams have been shattered. With me in the alliance, there is no place for Raj Thackeray. He changes his strategies and the colour of his party flag. It reflects his diminishing relevance," said Athawale, whose Republican Party of India (A) has been with the BJP-led NDA for over a decade. Speaking to reporters in Nashik, the Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment also expressed confidence that his party will get representation in the Devendra Fadnavis government. Slamming the Maha Vikas Aghadi for blaming EVM "misuse" for the crushing defeat in

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday hit out at the opposition, accusing it of misleading people about electronic voting machines and not accepting their mandate. Talking to reporters, Shinde said the ruling Mahayuti alliance won the November 20 assembly polls because of its work, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi must accept the people's mandate and support the government in development works. The Mahayuti combine of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP swept the recently held polls, winning 230 out of 288 seats, while the opposition bloc of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) managed just 46 seats. The opposition parties have alleged irregularities with EVMs for its poll losses and demanded the use of ballot papers. Slamming the opposition, the Shiv Sena chief said, "When you win, there is no EVM scam, but the machine becomes bad when you lose. This is not the right approach." He said the opposition must accept the people's mandate that they have been decisively

The ruling Mahayuti alliance on Sunday accused leaders of the opposition parties of misleading people about electronic voting machines (EVMs) instead of accepting the losses it faced in the Maharashtra assembly elections. The November 20 elections saw the Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP achieve a landslide victory by clinching 230 out of 288 assembly seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), managed just 46 seats. The opposition bloc has since claimed irregularities in the EVMs and demanded the use of ballot papers. Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant slammed the opposition for indulging in double standards. "It is because of the MVA's double standards that the Samajwadi Party has parted from the alliance. Yesterday, they boycotted the oath-taking ceremony, and today, they will hopefully take oath as members, which will again highlight their double standards," he said. He claimed the opposition

A special three-day session of the newly-constituted 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly began here on Saturday, where MLAs will be administered the oath of office. Senior BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar on Friday took oath as a legislator and was then appointed pro-tem speaker of legislative assembly by Governor C P Radhakrishnan. A nine-time MLA, Kolambkar is the senior most legislator in the House and represents the Wadala assembly constituency in Mumbai. As pro-tem speaker, he will administer the oath of office to the rest of the 287 newly-elected MLAs. The assembly speaker's election will be held on December 9, which will be followed by a trust vote of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government and the governor's address to the joint sitting of both the houses of the state legislature. Results of the November 20 assembly polls were declared on November 23, wherein the Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) registered

Devendra Fadnavis, who became the Maharashtra CM for the third time, revealed how he convinced a reluctant Eknath Shinde to join the government

Devendra Fadnavis, after taking oath as Maharashtra CM, assures a stable government with swift decisions, saying the Mahayuti alliance will ensure no repeat of past political turmoil

Devendra Fadnavis' return to Maharashtra throne, assassination attempt on Sukhbir Singh Badal in Punjab and more in this week's political news wrap

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday assured his government will continue the Ladki Bahin Yojana and fulfil Mahayuti's pre-poll promise of hiking the monthly stipend under the scheme to Rs 2,100 from Rs 1,500 now to eligible women. Addressing his maiden press conference after taking over as CM in the evening, he said he will provide a stable government over the next five years and the state under his leadership will see politics of change and not revenge. Fadnavis said the mandate of people in the 2024 assembly elections reflected their huge expectations and love, and he is feeling the pressure of their hope. He maintained Maharashtra will grow with same speed in social, infrastructure, industrial sectors as seen in the last two-and-a-half years. The CM said the Ladki Bahin Yojana, a cash transfer scheme target at women from poor families launched by the firs Mahayuti government, will continue and channelization of financial resources will be done during the ne

Ajit Pawar also takes oath as deputy CM at event attended by Modi, Shah, among others

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Maharashtra CM oath ceremony: Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar took oath at Mumbai's Azad Maidan, in the presence of PM Modi, JP Nadda and others

Captains of the industry, including richest Indian Mukesh Ambani and Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata, attended the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday. Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, was accompanied by his son Anant and daughter-in-law Radhika at the public event held at Azad Maidan in the country's financial capital. Others present at the swearing-in, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, included Mukesh's younger brother Anil Ambani. The event, held at the ground which has served as a protest site since colonial times, saw thousands of people from the general public in attendance. Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and NCP's Ajit Pawar also took oath as Deputy Chief Ministers. Billionaire Kumarmangalam Birla, another city-based industrialist, also attended the event along with his daughter Ananya. The father-daughter duo was seated close to financial services industry veteran Deepak Parekh. Sun Pharma's Dilip Sha