Maharashtra govt expansion deferred

The expansion of the Maharashtra council of ministers had been delayed and would take place before Diwali (November 12), Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said today.

Deshmukh, who was in Delhi today to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi, could not meet her.

"The expansion will take place after the three-day Assembly session concludes on November 6 and before Diwali. Consultations are still on," he told reporters.

Elections to the Maharashtra Assembly took place on October 13 and Deshmukh was sworn in as chief minister and National Congress Party (NCP) leader RR Patil as deputy chief minister yesterday, after a 12-day stalemate between the Congress and the NCP on who should head the government.

Deshmukh, who paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and held consultations with several senior Congress leaders, including AICC General Secretary Margaret Alva, on ministry formation, could not meet Gandhi.

He admitted that the ministerial exercise needed time as one had to accommodate conflicting claims and ensure regional and caste balance.

Deshmukh said the Congress and the Independents supporting it would get 18 ministerial berths in the two-tier ministry, which would also have some fresh faces.