• Source:JND
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The long-awaited cabinet expansion of the BJP-led Maharashtra government took place on Sunday with the swearing-in of 39 ministers in a grand ceremony held in Nagpur. Among the new inductees, 33 MLAs were appointed as cabinet ministers, while six took the oath as ministers of state. Notably, the Fadnavis government now boasts four women ministers, BJP's Pankaja Munde, Madhuri Misal, Meghana Bordikar, and NCP's Aditi Tatkare, adding a new dimension to the state's political leadership. 

Maharashtra's political landscape has witnessed a significant shift with the recent expansion of the state cabinet.

Meet 4 Women Ministers In Devendra Fadnavis-led Government

Pankaja Munde

Pankaja Munde, born on July 26, 1979, is an Indian politician from Maharashtra and the National Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Munde took oath as minister in the cabinet expansion of the Mahayuti government held today. 

She previously served as a Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC). The eldest daughter of former Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, Pankaja holds an MBA and is involved in both politics and business. She has held key roles, including Minister of Rural Development, Women, and Child Welfare, and led the BJP youth wing (BJYM) in 2012. Elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2009, she is known for her leadership during the "Punha Sangharsh Yatra" in 2014, which supported BJP’s success in state elections.

Aditi Sunil Tatkare

Aditi Tatkare from the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) also took oath as a cabinet minister. Tatkare served as Maharashtra's State Minister in both the Shinde (2023) and Thackeray (2019-2022) governments. Elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Shrivardhan in 2019, she is the daughter of NCP leader Sunil Tatkare. Aditi has also served as President of the Raigad Zilla Parishad (2017-2019) and Minister of State in Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022.

Madhuri Misal

Madhuri Misal took the oath as a minister in Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' cabinet today. Misal is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. She has been elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly multiple times, first in 2009, then re-elected in 2014, 2019, and 2024. Currently, she serves as a Minister of State.

Meghana Bordikar

Meghana Deepak Sakore-Bordikar is an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who took oath as a minister in the cabinet expansion of the Mahayuti government held today.  In the 2024 assembly elections, BJP MLA Meghna Bordikar secured a victory over NCP's Vijay Bhamble, marking her second consecutive win against him.

She was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 2019, winning the Jintur assembly seat in Parbhani by defeating Vijay Manikrao Bhamale of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). She won the seat with a margin of 3,717 votes. Meghana Bordikar is the wife of IPS officer Deepak Sakore and the daughter of Ramprasad Bordikar, a prominent politician from Jintur.