Will have discussions with allies before expansion: BJP

MUMBAI: Allies will be taken into confidence before the proposed expansion of the Maharashtra cabinet, a senior BJP minister today said.nn”Names of the new ministers will be finalised after holding talks with our allies,” finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said.nn”Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has returned from the foreign tour and he has decided to go ahead with the cabinet expansion. So expansion is in the offing,” Mungantiwar said.nnThough he didn’t name the Shiv Sena, his statement about holding talks with “allies” could be seen as intended to placate the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.nnWhile Thackeray has said on several occasions that the Sena would fight all future elections on its own, BJP leaders have stated that they would like to keep the alliance intact in the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.nnThe number of ministers in Maharashtra can not exceed 42 (as per the constitutional upper limit of 15 per cent of the number of MLAs) and the current strength of the state ministry is 39.nnSource: Press Trust of India