Swearing in of Maharashtra ministers postponed to Friday
November 18th, 2010 - 2:23 pm ICT by IANS
Mumbai, Nov 18 (IANS) The expansion of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan’s council of ministers has been postponed from Thursday evening to Friday morning as the Congress is yet to shortlist its names, official sources said.
Chavan who left for New Delhi Wednesday evening is still held up there for finalising his new team. He has held meetings with the top party leadership, including party president Sonia Gandhi, her political secretary Ahmed Patel and others in the capital.
The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had decided to adhere to the 2009 portfolio sharing arrangement - 23 and 20 berths respectively - paving the way for the swearing-in of the remaining ministers.
The issue was resolved after a marathon meeting between the Congress and NCP leaders held at the residence of ailing union Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar Wednesday.
Earlier Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had demanded one extra portfolio, which would have taken the NCP’s share to 21, but this was rejected by the Congress as its share would have been reduced to 22.
This will be the second round of swearing-in after Chavan and Pawar took oath a week ago. Along with them, nine NCP ministers, including heavyweights like Chhagan Bhujbal and R.R. Patil, were sworn in.
- State cabinet ministers swearing-in Thursday - Nov 17, 2010
- Jostling for cabinet berths in Mumbai ahead of swearing-in - Nov 11, 2010
- Ajit Pawar is Maharashtra deputy chief minister (Second Lead) - Nov 10, 2010
- Prithviraj Chavan sworn in Maharashtra chief minister (Lead) - Nov 11, 2010
- Ajit Pawar to be new Maharashtra deputy chief minister (Lead) - Nov 10, 2010
- Ajit Pawar will be Maharashtra deputy chief minister - Nov 10, 2010
- Chavan stakes claim, swearing in Thursday (Lead) - Nov 11, 2010
- Prithviraj Chavan to stake claim - Nov 10, 2010
- Maharashtra Cabinet expanded to 31 ministers - Nov 19, 2010
- Prithviraj Chavan, Ajit Pawar brace for Maharashtra innings (Night Lead) - Nov 11, 2010
- 15 leaders have been Maharashtra chief minister in 50 years - Nov 11, 2010
- Congress-NCP alliance forms government in Maharashtra for the second time - Nov 07, 2009
- New Maharashtra cabinet to be sworn in on Thursday - Nov 17, 2010
- Maharashtra Cabinet to be expanded today - Nov 18, 2010
- Congress, NCP ally to dislodge saffron combine from BMC - Jan 11, 2012
Tags: agriculture minister, ajit pawar, berths, chavan, chhagan bhujbal, council of ministers, deputy chief minister, friday morning, heavyweights, maharashtra ministers, nationalist congress party, ncp, party leadership, party president, paving the way, political secretary, s council, sharad pawar, sonia gandhi, wednesday evening