Maharashtra’s political temperature has risen sharply with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) convening a high-level core committee meeting at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ official residence, Varsha, even as speculation grows over an imminent expansion of both the Union and Maharashtra cabinets.
The meeting also comes at a time when political developments within the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) have triggered fresh discussions about possible realignments in the state.
The meeting, to be chaired by Chief Minister Fadnavis, will be attended by BJP National Co-Organisation General Secretary Shiv Prakash, Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan, senior ministers Chandrakant Patil, Ashish Shelar, Pankaja Munde and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, along with party National General Secretary and MP Vinod Tawde and MP Ashok Chavan.
According to sources, the BJP leadership is expected to deliberate on the proposed expansion of the Union and state cabinets, pending organisational appointments in Maharashtra and the party’s strategy for organisational expansion. Besides the anticipated cabinet reshuffle, the meeting is also likely to review the party’s political roadmap in view of the changing political scenario in the state.
The meeting assumes significance as reports suggest that the Union Cabinet could be expanded in the coming weeks, with a corresponding reshuffle in the Maharashtra cabinet also under consideration.
The political developments come against the backdrop of recent shifts within the opposition. The Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a major setback after six of its Members of Parliament joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, altering the political equations in the state.
However, on the other hand, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), where internal discussions on the party’s future political course are underway.
Sources said senior leader Jayant Patil recently held consultations with nine of the party’s ten MLAs to seek their views.
He is also spoke with party MPs before informing legislators that a final decision would be taken after discussions with party chief Sharad Pawar.
A meeting of NCP (SP) legislators held at Vidhan Bhavan during the Monsoon Session has further fuelled speculation.
Nine MLAs attended the meeting, while Rohit Pawar remained absent. According to sources, most of the legislators favoured extending support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rather than merging with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
The MLAs reportedly argued that aligning with the NDA would facilitate greater financial support for development projects in their constituencies and improve the party’s electoral prospects ahead of the 2029 Assembly elections.
However, Rohit Pawar is believed to have opposed any move towards the BJP and later spoke to several MLAs over the phone to understand their views.
The final decision is now expected to rest with Sharad Pawar, who is likely to convene a meeting of the party’s legislators and MPs in the coming days before announcing the party’s stand.
Meanwhile, discussions over the likely Union Cabinet expansion have also intensified within the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
While the names of newly inducted MPs Omraje Nimbalkar and Sanjay Jadhav were initially being considered for ministerial berths, the names of MP Shrikant Shinde and MP Shrirang Barne have also emerged in political circles, keeping the suspense over the final selections alive.
