Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and 37 other ministers were sworn in at a simple function at Raj Bhawan in Mumbai on Monday by Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir.The list includes 26 cabinet ministers, 17 from the Nationalist Congress Party, seven from theCongress and two independents and 13 ministers of state.
Prominent ministers in the Vilasrao Deshmukh team, who were dropped, included Anil Deshmukh (NCP), who handled public works, Satish Chaturvedi of the Congress who held textiles and Vasant Purke of the Congress who was education minister.
The new faces in the cabinet include Surupsinh Naik of the Congress, NCP's Nawab Malik, Madan Patil an independent) and Ramesh Bang of the NCP. Malik had quit earlier following corruption charges by social activist Anna Hazare.
Naik
resigned two years ago after being sentenced to a month's imprisonment by the Supreme Court in a contempt case.
However, political compulsions in his tribal Nandurbar district have forced Congress to reinduct him, sources said.
The ministers of state sworn in today include new faces like Nitin Raut, Suresh Warpudkar, Vijay Wadettiwar, Satish
Patil, Nana Panchbuddhe and Shobha Bacchav.
Wadettiwar, who represents Chimur constituency in Vidarbha, is a known supporter of rebel Congressman Narayan
Rane. Bacchav and NCP's Vimal Mundada are the two women in the Chavan Ministry. Ministers of State in Deshmukh team, Rajendra Shingane and Rajesh Tope have been elevated to cabinet rank.
Image: Ashok Chavan after being sworn-in by Governor S C Jamir at Rajbhavan in Mumbai on Monday.
Photograph: Sandeep Mahankal
