The Supreme Court’s stay on the installation of 12 Members of the Maharashtra legislative assembly was lifted today paving the way for the Maharashtra governor Ramesh Bais to nominate the desired candidates on the advice of the Eknath Shinde-led government.

The same was pending since June 2020 when then Chief Minister Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had sent his proposal to the Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, who hemmed and hawed over it for the next two years till the Shinde-led government was installed.

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Thereafter, Shinde submitted a proposal on September 5, 2022, that was accepted by Koshiyari to withdraw the 12 names recommended by the erstwhile Thackeray-led MVA government which was challenged before the Supreme Court that stayed the nomination process. Koshiyari subsequently relinquished his gubernatorial post.

Two of the important political formations in the MVA coalition, the Shiv Sena (undivided) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have since also been split leaving Thackeray without 40 elected MLAs in his political formation in June 2022 and, sans his party name and symbol too.

Similarly, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar also contends with less than 16 NCP MLAs remaining on his side since the Sunday before last when more than 2/3 of his 53 MLA strong party split up led by nephew Ajit Pawar.

Ironically, the BJP which engineered the split and is credited with ensuring the proactive stance taken by then governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to stall the 12 MLC nominations for two years (over apparent legal and political queries), is now poised to reward its own party men and new-found coalition partners the Shiv Sena (led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) as well as the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP.

The pressure has also been building up incessantly upon CM Shinde for the last one year to expand his council of ministers to include more of his party MLAs who had joined him to split the undivided Shiv Sena, on the promise of ministerial assignments that have failed to materialise as yet, even after Ajit Pawar and eight of the rebel NCP MLAs were sworn in as ministers nine days back.

Even back in August 2022 BJP deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis had assured of the cabinet expansion to include more Shiv Sena MLAs by August 15 which did not translate into a reality.

The availability of the 12 political appointments (nominations by Maharashtra Governor) comes as a shot in the arm for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde who is under immense pressure from his 31 Shiv Sena MLAs (nine ministerial portfolios are held by his party) for a cabinet expansion.

Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawle said on Tuesday that he will be sworn in as a minister anytime now. Shiv Sena’s minister for industries Uday Samant, in turn, noted, “It is true that a cabinet expansion (to include more Shiv Sena MLAs is due anytime. It was expected on Monday, then again Tuesday (today). Now let us wait for Wednesday. But it will happen soon.”

Another aspiring Shiv Sena MLA is Sanjay Sirshat who also told the media that a cabinet expansion was expected in a couple of days. Monday night witnessed a late-night discussion between the three coalition partners in the state over the allocations of cabinet portfolios, MLC nominations, and accommodation for more Shiv Sena MLAs through a further expansion.

Taking a potshot at the Shinde government Thackeray said that for all its rebellion the Shinde group of MLAs had been left with a mere nine cabinet posts even a year after being in government while pointing out that the same rebels already enjoyed the ministerial posts even during the MVA regime.