New Maharashtra cabinet to be sworn in Saturday, says Chavan

Mumbai/New Delhi, Nov 6 : The new Maharashtra cabinet will be sworn in Saturday, Chief Minister-elect Ashok Chavan said Friday, a day after the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) broke the deadlock over power sharing.

Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister-designate Chhagan Bhujbal of the NCP would call on Governor S.C. Jamir in the evening and stake formal claim to form the new state government.

"I am going to meet the governor in the evening and the swearing-in will be in Mumbai tomorrow," Chavan told reporters in New Delhi just before leaving for Mumbai.

Officials added that 20 ministers of the NCP would be sworn in along with a few Congress ministers.

The Congress-NCP late Thursday finally managed to arrive at a consensus over power-sharing, paving the way for swearing-in the new government.

As per the formula, the Congress would get 22 ministers as compared to the NCP's 20, said NCP spokesperson D.P. Tripathi.

"The NCP will retain home, finance and power portfolios while negotiations are continuing on some of the other portfolios," Tripathi told IANS last evening in New Delhi.

"There were some adjustments and the matter is resolved now," added senior NCP leader Praful Patel.

In the previous ministry, the Congress had 19 ministers while the NCP had 23. The NCP had secured 71 seats compared to the Congress' 69.

Since the Congress was keen to keep the post of chief minister, it agreed to give four extra portfolios to the NCP.

Friday's development comes exactly 15 days after the Oct 13 assembly election results were declared on Oct 22.

The Congress emerged the largest party in the 288-member house, bagging 82 seats, the NCP came next with 62 seats.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party got 46 seats, Shiv Sena 44, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena 13 and the rest went to independents and smaller parties.