Maharashtra’s new Congress ministers meet Sonia and Rahul Gandhi after cabinet expansion

Congress leaders newly sworn in as ministers in Maharashtra met party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expanded his cabinet.

The meetings

The ministers, among them former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, met the two leaders separately at their homes and sought their blessings. They were accompanied by Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress general secretary in charge of Maharashtra, senior leader KC Venugopal and AICC secretary Ashish Dua.

At the same time, there were reports of unhappiness within the party, with some senior Congress leaders said to be upset over the choice of ministers in the Maharashtra cabinet.

The cabinet expansion

More than a month after taking power, Thackeray on Monday added 36 ministers to his cabinet. They included his son Aaditya and several younger leaders from political families. Ajit Pawar of the NCP returned as Deputy Chief Minister.

Background

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly election the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, the NCP 54 and the Congress 44 in the 288-member House. After the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance broke down, Thackeray became Chief Minister in November 2019 with the support of the NCP and the Congress.

Originally published on 31 December 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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