Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis shuffles cabinet: Vinod Tawde gets Parliamentary Affairs

Ahead of expansion, the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday reshuffled his Cabinet with the allocation of crucial Parliamentary Affairs Department to the Education Minister Vinod Tawde and the department of food and civil supplies to Jaykumar Rawal who holds Departments of Tourism and Employment of guarantee scheme. The reshuffle was necessitated as the Minister of Civil Supplies and Parliamentary affairs Girish Bapat resigned after he won the Lok Sabha election from Pune constituency.

Fadnavis has appointed the number two in his Cabinet and state revenue minister Chandrakant Patil as the Pune district guardian minister following Bapat's resignation. Further, the chief minister's close confidant and Water Resources minister Girish Mahajan has been appointed as the Jalgaon District Guardian Minister. Mahajan played a key role in the victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates from Jalgaon and Raver constituencies in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.

Fadnavis is believed to have received green signal for Cabinet expansion from the party president Amit Shah following his meeting held on Thursday. Chief Minister is likely to expand his Cabinet next week as the monsoon session of the state legislature will commence on June 17.

Former leader of opposition in the state Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who quit the Congress party, is expected to be inducted in the state Cabinet.

Moreover, the fate of Housing Minister Prakash Mehta hangs in the balance amid reports that the Lokayukta, in its probe report of a slum rehabilitation scheme here, has made adverse comments against him. Mehta said he wasn't aware if the report has been submitted to the government.