Mumbai, December 30: Ajit Pawar, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, has been sworn-in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra in Uddhav Thackeray-led cabinet. The newly elected leader was also the Deputy Chief Minister the state from November 23 to 26 this year i.e. for less than 80 hours. This made him the Deputy CM with the shortest tenure in Devendra Fadnavis led BJP-NCP alliance government then. Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari administered the oath to the new team in the Maharashtra Legislature precinct.

Apart from Pawar, Congress leaders including former CM Ashok Chavan, Amit Vilasrao Deshmukh, the son of late former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, NCP leader Nawab Malik, Shiv Sena's Aaditya Thackeray took oath as ministers in Maharashtra Government among others. The expansion comes exactly 32 days after Uddhav was sworn-in on November 28 as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister. The Cabinet expansion in Maharashtra will see NCP's Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena's Aditya Thackeray among those being inducted as ministers.

The total strength of the ministry of Maharashtra cabinet can be maximum 42 including the Chief Minister. It was widely believed that Pawar would be rehabilitated since his return to the NCP fold.  A total of nearly 36 ministers,  including those of Cabinet Minister and Minister of State ranks- are likely to be inducted in the state cabinet.

In November, the swearing in ceremony of Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came as a political shocker. The stunning turn of events in the state came hours after Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had emerged as the Sena-NCP-Congress' consensus candidate for the top post.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2019 01:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).