Maharashtra Cabinet: Shiv Sena retains home, NCP gets finance, Congress gets power, revenue

Maharashtra Cabinet expansion: Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde becomes new home minister; NCP gets finance, housing, health; whereas Congress has been given 12 ministries including education, power and revenue ministries.  

Mumbai: The Uddhav Thackeray-led alliance government expanded the Cabinet today. Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has been made the new home minister of the state.

Apart from home, Shinde will also have urban development, forest, environment, water supply, irrigation, tourism, PWD and Parliamentary affairs.

 Shiv Sena has also retained the urban development ministry. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has got finance, housing, public health and co-operation ministries in Maharashtra government.

Shiv Sena and the NCP will have 15 and 16 ministers respectively, the Congress has got 12 Cabinet berths.  Congress has been given higher and technical Education, revenue, school and medical education and PWD. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari sent a notification in this regard.

NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal has become the rural development and social justice minister, Congress’ Balasaheb Thorat has got education, power and revenue ministries.

Congress' Nitin Raut has got MSRDC, tribal development, women and children development, relief and rehabilitation and OBC ministries.

With the expansion of Cabinet, the Maharashtra government is all set for the six-day winter session of the Assembly that will begin on December 16 and conclude on December 21, in Nagpur.