Maharashtra cabinet reshuffle: Six new ministers sworn-in

MUMBAI: Five NCP and an Independent legislator, were today sworn-in as ministers in the Maharashtra government as part of the much-awaited reshuffle. Madhukar Pichad and Shashikant Shinde of NCP and Dilip Sopal (independent) took oath as cabinet ministers. While Suresh Dhas, Uday Samant and Sanjay Savkhare were inducted as Ministers of State.

They were administered the oath of office and secrecy by State Governor K Sankaranarayanan at Raj Bhawan here. These new ministers come in place of Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, Babanrao Pachpute and Laxman Dhobale (all cabinet) and Bhaskar Jadhav, Prakash Solanke and Gulabrao Devkar (all ministers of state), whose resignations have been accepted. The three new faces in the cabinet are: Savkhare, Samant and Shinde. Sopal, a former NCP leader, has earlier served as minister of State for Law and Judiciary.

Pichad is from Akole in Ahmednagar, Shinde from Koregaon in Satara, Sopal from Barshi in Solapur, Uday Samant from Ratnagiri and Savkhare is from Jalgaon district.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had last week sought resignations of all party ministers in the state ministry. Last night, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar handed over the list of ministers to be dropped/inducted to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. Pichad said that those ministers who have been dropped will be drafted for party work.