Eknath Shinde

Additionally, a blueprint for a developed, balanced, and comprehensive Maharashtra was outlined, informed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday allocated portfolios to his council of ministers, retaining the crucial Home department with him. Fadnavis will also handle Energy, Law and Judiciary, General Administration Department and Information and Publicity departments, an official statement said here. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been allocated Urban Development, Housing and Public Works Department (public enterprises). Ajit Pawar, another deputy CM, got Finance and Planning, State Excise. The portfolios were allocated after the weeklong winter session of the state Legislature ended here earlier in the day. As many as 39 ministers had been sworn in on December 15, before the start of the session, while Fadnavis and his two deputies had taken the oath of office on December 5. The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena swept the November 20 assembly elections, winning 230 of 288 seats. Portfolios allocated to BJP ministers are -- Chandrashekhar

Maharashtra Minister Bharat Gogawale on Saturday said that the allocation of portfolios in the Mahayuti government is expected during the day. The Winter Session of the state assembly, which began on December 16, will conclude on Saturday. Talking to reporters here, Gogawale said, "The allocation of portfolios is expected today. Leaders of all three alliance partners met on Friday, and we had a breakfast meeting with the chief minister this morning." Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were sworn in on December 5, and 39 ministers were inducted ahead of the Winter Session on December 15 at Raj Bhavan in Nagpur. However, portfolio allocation in the Mahayuti government is yet to take place. The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, secured a landslide victory in the November 20 assembly polls by winning 230 out of 288 seats. The Shiv Sena leader asserted that there was no difference of opinion among Mahayu

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid tributes at the memorial of RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar here on Thursday and said no one can ignore the Sangh's contribution to nation-building. The ideologies of the Sangh Parivar and Shiv Sena are same, Shinde told reporters after visiting the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir at Reshimbagh in Nagpur, where Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders of the ruling allies BJP and Shiv Sena also paid respects. NCP leader and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who outfit is also a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti, was not present, while two of his party legislators visited the memorial. The winter session of the state legislature is currently underway in Nagpur. As an organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) works selflessly, Shinde said. The Shiv Sena head further said that he earlier also visited Hedgewar's memorial and had a relation with the Sangh Parivar since childhood. "I started with a Sangh shakha and then with a Shiv Se

The Maharashtra State Road and Transport Corporation will induct 3,500 new buses in its dwindling fleet in 2025 and check issues like breakdown of vehicles and long wait time for passengers, an official said. Addressing a press conference in Nagpur on Wednesday, MSRTC Chairman Bharat Gogawale said they have decided to purchase 2,200 buses for their own fleet, besides hiring 1,300 buses on lease. "These 3,500 buses will begin joining the fleet in January, alleviating issues such as buses breaking down on road or passengers having to wait for long periods," Gogawale said. Currently, the state-run transport body's fleet is facing a significant shortage as the number of its buses has come down to 14,000 from 18,000 before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2018, he said. Gogawale said due to the pandemic and other factors, the MSRTC was not able to purchase new buses in recent years. Hence, the shortage made it difficult for the corporation to provide additional bus services to meet the growing

The year 2024 not just reshaped the Indian politics, but also forced the political thinkers to come up with new explanations to describe the electoral behaviour

MLA Narendra Bhondekar is excluded from the recent cabinet expansion. He also failed to meet party leaders like Eknath Shinde, Uday Samant, and Shrikant Shinde before the cabinet berth allocations

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

Fadnavis in Delhi to allocate portfolios; Shinde's absence raises speculation over Shiv Sena tensions

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

Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant on Friday said deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde did not want to join the new Maharashtra government and instead wanted to focus on building his party. But the Shiv Sena chief, who served as chief minister in the previous Mahayuti government, relented due to the demand of the party leaders, he said. "Eknath Shinde was not interested in becoming deputy CM. Party MLAs and leaders insisted that he should be part of the government because it is his responsibility to ensure that the schemes he launched are taken forward," Samant told reporters. After the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, Shinde spoke to Shiv Sena leaders at the party office, he said. "He told us he wanted to build the organisation but honoured our request," Samant said. Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister on Thursday while Shinde and NCP chief Ajit Pawar took oath as his deputies, two weeks after the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition won a massive victory in the assembly elections.

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

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday claimed that Eknath Shinde had to take oath as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister because the BJP's top brass planned to go ahead with the new government's swearing-in if he continued being "stubborn". Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut said the state government did not have a full cabinet so far despite the Mahayuti getting a thumping majority indicates that not everything is well within the alliance. He said it took as many as 15 days for the BJP to form the government in Maharashtra despite having a massive mandate. "Eknath Shinde had to take oath as deputy chief minister. BJP had planned to go ahead with the swearing-in ceremony without Eknath Shinde. Had he maintained the stubborn attitude to pressure the BJP, its brass had informed (the state leadership) to go ahead without him," Raut claimed. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as chief minister of the state for the third time in a grand ceremony held at Azad Maidan in .

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