Maharashtra Cabinet: Fadnavis' unique formula carries short-term gains but long-term risks

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis

It is customary after every oath-taking ceremony to witness dissent and protests from MLAs excluded from the Council of Ministers. However, what sets apart the oath ceremony for the cabinet expansion of CM Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur on Sunday is the strategic two-and-a-half-year tenure formula introduced by Fadnavis. This approach offers several advantages for him as the Chief Minister and as a BJP leader.

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On Sunday, 39 MLAs were sworn in as ministers in Nagpur—19 from the BJP, 11 from the Shiv Sena, and 9 from the NCP. The new ministers have been informed that their positions are not for the full five-year tenure.

Instead, they will relinquish their posts after two and a half years to make way for others. According to Fadnavis, the performance of all ministers will be appraised, and decisions regarding their continuation will be based on this evaluation.

While the mid-term removal of ministers is not unusual and has occurred previously due to allegations of corruption or intra-party politics, this is the first time such a policy has been implemented formally.

This idea, originally proposed by the BJP, has been endorsed by Deputy CM and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde.

Shinde told reporters that many MLAs in his party are capable of becoming ministers, and this arrangement provides them an opportunity to be part of the government.

Notably, several Shiv Sena MLAs in Shinde's previous government had waited for cabinet inclusion, but the expansion was repeatedly delayed until the government’s tenure ended. Some of these hopefuls have now been inducted into the current council.

The two-and-a-half-year tenure formula serves two primary purposes. Firstly, it keeps ministers under pressure to perform well and discourages corruption. Any minister involved in a controversy could be removed. Secondly, it placates disappointed hopefuls left out of the current cabinet by keeping their aspirations alive and reducing dissent within the party.

However, there is another perspective. Hopefuls who were denied ministerial positions might attempt to undermine current ministers by portraying them as incompetent or corrupt. They could leak damaging stories to the media and the Opposition, potentially aggravating internal power struggles within parties. While the BJP's disciplined organizational structure is likely to manage such challenges, the Shiv Sena and NCP may struggle to maintain order.

In the new council of ministers, 18 new faces have been inducted, while 12 former cabinet ministers, including stalwarts like Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dilip Walse Patil, have been dropped. Chhagan Bhujbal has already voiced his disappointment, with his supporters staging protests in Nashik. Narendra Bhondekar, a three-time Shiv Sena MLA from Bhandara, resigned from his party post after being excluded from the ministerial list. Bhondekar, a deputy leader of the party and Vidarbha coordinator, expressed his dissatisfaction publicly.