Cabinet expansion the next challenge for Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

Government has 23 vacant ministerial berths to fill, even as it prepares for municipal elections, and battles a shift in Shiv Sainiks' sympathies

With the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Assembly coming to an end on Thursday, the pressure is building on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to accommodate more rebel legislators in his Cabinet.

The mood in the rebel camp has been mixed over the past month since they chose to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the government in the state.

Some MLAs like Bacchu Kadu, an independent who was a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, are disappointed that they weren’t given ministerial berths. Others like Shiv Sena rebel Sanjay Shirsat are hopeful of being