In a first since 2014, Maharashtra to have 04 Muslims as minister

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In a first since 2014, Maharashtra to have 04 Muslims as minister

There was not a single Muslim as minister in the government headed by Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra

Monday December 30, 2019 5:51 PM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

[Aslam Shaikh of Congress (second from right) is one of the four Muslims who have been made a minister in Uddhav Thackeray cabinet.]

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday expanded his cabinet by inducting 35 ministers -- including 04 Muslims. This is for the first time since 2014 when the cabinet in Maharashtra will have 04 Muslims.

Of the 04 Muslim ministers in Maharashtra, 03 are of the cabinet rank and 01 is Minister of State (MoS).

There was not a single Muslim as minister in the government headed by Devendra Fadnavis in Maharashtra which has a Muslim population of about 12%.

The four Muslims who have been inducted into the Uddhav Thackeray cabinet are -- Shiv Sena's Abdul Sattar Nabi (MoS), NCP's Malik and Hasan Mushrif, and Congress' Aslam Shaikh, all Cabinet rank.

All the new ministers were sworn in this afternoon by Governor B.S. Koshyari outside the Maharashtra Legislature Complex, Nariman Point.

Aditya Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party senior leader Ajit Pawar also found a place in Uddhav Thackeray cabinet. While Aditya sworn in as Cabinet Minister Ajit Pawar was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister for a record fourth time.

03 women in Uddhav Thackeray cabinet

Welcoming the expansion, the ruling allies Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress leaders termed it as a "well-balanced" exercise by Thackeray giving appropriate representation to all sections, communities and regions in the state.

Aditya Thackeray has been made a Cabinet minister along with other Maha Vikas Aghadi heavyweights such as former Congress chief minister Ashok Chavan, ex-NCP Leader of Opposition in Council Dhananjay Munde, ex-Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil, NCP National Spokesperson Nawab Malik.

The cabinet has three women -- NCP's Aditi Tatkare (MoS) and Congress' Varsha Gaikwad and Yashomati Thakur, both Cabinet rank -- though the Sena has no woman representative in the government.

Other big names from the three parties include Anil Parab, Vijay Wadettiwar, Jitendra Awhad, Anil Deshmukh, Amit (Vilasrao) Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, and MoS Satej Patil, Vishwajeet Kadam and Bachu Kadu.

Malegaon MLA Dada Bhuse elevated

Besides, there are other Cabinet ministers such as Sanjay Rathod, Gulabrao Patil, Dada Bhuse, Sandipan Bhumre and Uday Samant (all Shiv Sena), NCP's Rajendra Shingane, Balasaheb Patil (both NCP), Sunik Kedar, K.C. Padvi (both Congress) and Shankarrao Gadakh (Krantikari Shetkari Party), MVA ally.

Malegaon MLA Dada Bhuse was MoS in Fadnavis cabinte. He had now been elevated as cabinet minister.

The other new MoS rank inductees are: Shambhuraj Desai, Dattatrau Bharne, Sanjay Bansode, Prajakt Tanpure and Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar, an independent who extended support to the MVA.

The portfolios of the newly indutced ministers in Maharashtra will be allocated later on.

Earlier, on Nov. 28, Thackeray took the oath along with six other ministers -- Eknath Shinde, Subhash Desai (both Sena), Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP), Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut (Congress).

After today's expansion the total strength of the ministry goes up to 43, including CM Thackeray and DCM Pawar.

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