Devendra Fadnavis had told reporters that a cabinet reshuffle would be undertaken and former Congress leader Narayan Rane would be inducted into his cabinet
The cabinet reshuffle in Maharashtra is likely to take place after Gujarat elections, scheduled for December 9 and 14. Sources in BJP said that the top leadership had conveyed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that the reshuffle may hamper Gujarat poll campaigning.
On Diwali eve, Fadnavis had told reporters that a cabinet reshuffle would be undertaken and former Congress leader Narayan Rane would be inducted into his cabinet.
“Most BJP ministers from Maharashtra, including Prakash Mehta, Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan have been allotted election responsibility in Gujarat. So, at this juncture, carrying out a cabinet reshuffle exercise will not be right. Gujarat elections are the priority,” said a source.
Sudhir Mungantiwar, senior BJP minister, had also confirmed earlier that the reshuffle would take place by the end of this year. He refused to give a date but hinted at December-end.
Another senior BJP leader said the elections in Gujarat were very crucial, considering public response to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. “BJP has been ruling Gujarat for 22 years. There is an anti-incumbency factor, besides GST and note ban impact.
People of Gujarat are not happy with the BJP government’s decisions. However, they will not vote for Congress. But PM Narendra Modi and party national president Amit Shah do not want to take any risks,” he said.
“After Gujarat elections, the reshuffle will definitely take place. If the election results are positive and BJP retain power, there would not be major changes in the cabinet. However, If BJP loses or wins by a narrow margin, it will force us to make major changes,” said a BJP leader.
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