Cleaning the cabinet

With ministers courting controversy, Fadnavis gets ready for a tough review of his team

- DNYANESH JATHAR

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seems determined to the play the role of a strict headmaster to his cabinet. As his government nears the milestone of one year in office—on December 5, 2025—he has announced a performance audit of his ministers.

Speaking to journalists during a Diwali interaction, Fadnavis emphasised the need for such an audit. BJP leaders indicated that the party's top leadership felt the government's image was suffering because of the actions and statements of certain ministers.

A senior BJP leader said the government's performance has been “mixed”. According to him, some ministers are doing well while others have fallen short, both within the BJP and its allies—the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party, led by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, respectively. When asked about controversial ministers like the NCP’s Dhananjay Munde and Sanjay Shirsat, and the Shiv Sena’s Yogesh Kadam, the leader said the party should have thought about it when it decided to form the coalition. “Didn't we know what we are entering into when we made the alliances?” he asked. If he intends to act against errant ministers from other parties, Fadnavis would have the difficult task of convincing Shinde and Pawar.