6 Maharashtra Ministers in New Modi Cabinet
Modi takes oath as PM of India
Mumbai: The Modi 3.0 government has inducted six Members of Parliament (MPs) from Maharashtra, with the BJP securing four berths and its allies Shiv Sena and RPI getting one each.
The number of ministers from Maharashtra has come down from eight in the previous Modi government (2019-2024) to six in the current term.
Retaining their cabinet positions are BJP MPs Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal. The new faces include BJP's Raksha Khadse, the lone woman MP from Maharashtra, and first-time MP Murlidhar Mohol, who have been sworn in as Ministers of State.
Among the BJP's allies, RPI chief Ramdas Athawale has been retained as a Minister of State with independent charge, while Prataprao Jadhav from the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also taken oath as a Minister of State with independent charge.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, however, declined the BJP's offer of a Minister of State with independent charge, insisting on a cabinet berth for Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said the coalition formulas must be respected and assured that the NCP would be considered in future cabinet expansions.
"We had offered one berth of minister with independent charge to the NCP but they wanted Praful Patel's name to be finalized. Due to his experience, the NCP believed he could not be made MoS with independent charge," Fadnavis said.
In the 2019-2024 Modi government, there were eight ministers from Maharashtra, all belonging to the BJP and its allies. The number has now decreased to six.
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