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Deshmukh drops six ministers, allocates portfolios

Chief Minister Vilas Deshmukh today announced the portfolios of the pruned 55-member Council of Ministers, dropping six ministers, including one of Cabinet rank, from the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra and retaining the key portfolios of co-operation, urban development and general administration.

Apart from these portfolios, the chief minister, who belongs to the Congress, will also look after information and public relations, earthquake rehabilitation, urban land ceiling, mining and any other portfolio that has not yet been allocated.

Deshmukh's deputy Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party will look after the important portfolios of home and tourism.

The list of Council of Ministers along with their portfolios, which apart from the chief minister and his deputy includes 24 ministers of Cabinet rank and 29 ministers of state, was announced in Bombay late tonight following Governor P C Alexander's approval.

While allocating the portfolios, Deshmukh also undertook the important task of pruning the jumbo-sized Cabinet of 61 members to 55. The Congress dropped Satish Chaturvedi, who had Cabinet rank. The two other ministers of state from the Congress to be dropped were Madhu Chavan and Bhuishchandra Sawarbandhe.

Deshmukh also had to drop an independent, Harshavardhan Patil, who was a minister in the earlier Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance government, as the NCP objected to his inclusion.

The NCP dropped Rajendra Shingne and Rajesh Tupe, both ministers of state.

The list was finalised after hectic consultations between the two major alliance partners of the government that lasted for most of the day. Three meetings of the senior politicians of both parties were held today to finalise the list and then the governor's approval was taken.

Leaders of both parties expressed satisfaction at the cuts and promised that the government would start functioning at a rapid pace from tomorrow.

Meanwhile, sources said a Cabinet meeting of the ministers is likely to be held tomorrow. The earlier Cabinet meeting held last week was boycotted by the NCP over the size of the ministry.

Among the ministers of Cabinet rank, former Union home minister S B Chavan's son Ashok (Congress) will look after the revenue and protocol department. The NCP's Jaywant Patil has been given the key portfolios of finance and planning while his senior colleague, Dr Padamsinh Patil, has been allocated energy, irrigation, and command area development.

Senior NCP leader Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil has been put in charge of the public works department while his party colleague and former leader of the opposition in the state assembly Madhukar Pichad will look after tribal welfare and special assistance.

Former defence minister and NCP president Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit will look after horticulture and irrigation (Krishna Valley Project and Konkan Irrigation Corporation). The NCP's Vikramsinh Patankar will look after public works (public projects).

Former Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Ranjit Deshmukh has been allocated agriculture and textiles. His colleague Patangrao Kadam will look after industries and water conservation.

Animal husbandry and dairy development will be looked after by Anand Devkate of the Congress. Ramkrishna More, also of the Congress, has been allocated school education, sports and youth welfare, and cultural affairs.

UNI

Click here for the full list of ministers with portfolios

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