Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to leave for Delhi tonight with speculation rife for cabinet expansion

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is leaving for Delhi on Wednesday night amid talks of the imminent expansion of the state cabinet which has not taken shape even almost a month after a government led by him and the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power.

Shinde will board a flight to Delhi at 7 PM. He will reach Maharashtra Sadan at 9 PM, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

His engagements in the national capital have not been disclosed. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is not accompanying Shinde, according to his office.

It is also not clear when Shinde will return to Maharashtra from Delhi.

Shinde took oath as the chief minister on June 30, two days after his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray resigned as his government was reduced to a minority due to the rebellion led by Shinde and 39 MLAs of Shiv Sena.

This will be the fifth visit of Shinde to Delhi after assuming the charge of the CM.

He had gone to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders. In another visit, he met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with a breakaway group of 12 MPs of Shiv Sena. He had also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Droupadi Murmu as the President.

Fadnavis had earlier said that the new council of ministers will be formed soon.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had taken potshots at the new government over the delay in the allocation of portfolios.