File photo of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. (PTI)
Mumbai:
The BJP and the Shiv Sena are expected to make a joint statement soon in an indication that they might have reached an agreement on power-sharing in Maharashtra.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will expand his council of ministers tomorrow and 12 Sena ministers are expected to be a part of it. Maharashtra's Raj Bhavan has been informed that the swearing-in will take place at 4 pm at the Vidhan Bhavan.
In all 20 new ministers are expected to take oath. Mr Fadnavis was sworn in last month with 10 ministers.
The Shiv Sena has also reportedly been eager to link joining the BJP government in Maharashtra with an announcement that it will get at least one more Cabinet post at the Centre and one post of minister of state. At present it has only one Cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi government.
The demand is being seen as an attempt by the Sena to dispel the perception that the party has settled for less - talks turned fruitful in Maharashtra only once the Shiv Sena dropped its demand for the post of Deputy Chief Minister and other plum portfolios like Home.
"We have demanded from BJP an additional Cabinet rank for our party and also a Minister of State in (Central) government. However, they (BJP) are yet to reply to our proposal," Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar told reporters outside party chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' on Wednesday.
The two parties, partners for 25 years, parted ways in the state just before the assembly elections held last month, after failing to agree on seat sharing. The BJP won the maximum seats, but is short of a majority. The Shiv Sena came in second, with about half the number of seats that the BJP won.
The BJP has since sought to make it clear to the Sena that those numbers have changed the balance of power in their relationship and it is now the senior partner and will call the shots. In a month fraught with much tension since election results were declared, the Sena has sulked and threatened and even voted against the Fadnavis government in a controversial trust vote that the Chief Minister won by voice vote.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will expand his council of ministers tomorrow and 12 Sena ministers are expected to be a part of it. Maharashtra's Raj Bhavan has been informed that the swearing-in will take place at 4 pm at the Vidhan Bhavan.
In all 20 new ministers are expected to take oath. Mr Fadnavis was sworn in last month with 10 ministers.
The Shiv Sena has also reportedly been eager to link joining the BJP government in Maharashtra with an announcement that it will get at least one more Cabinet post at the Centre and one post of minister of state. At present it has only one Cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi government.
The demand is being seen as an attempt by the Sena to dispel the perception that the party has settled for less - talks turned fruitful in Maharashtra only once the Shiv Sena dropped its demand for the post of Deputy Chief Minister and other plum portfolios like Home.
"We have demanded from BJP an additional Cabinet rank for our party and also a Minister of State in (Central) government. However, they (BJP) are yet to reply to our proposal," Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar told reporters outside party chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' on Wednesday.
The two parties, partners for 25 years, parted ways in the state just before the assembly elections held last month, after failing to agree on seat sharing. The BJP won the maximum seats, but is short of a majority. The Shiv Sena came in second, with about half the number of seats that the BJP won.
The BJP has since sought to make it clear to the Sena that those numbers have changed the balance of power in their relationship and it is now the senior partner and will call the shots. In a month fraught with much tension since election results were declared, the Sena has sulked and threatened and even voted against the Fadnavis government in a controversial trust vote that the Chief Minister won by voice vote.
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