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Deshmukh gets Sonia's nod for Cabinet expansion

Shahid K Abbas in New Delhi

The 30-month Democratic Front government in Maharashtra would be reshuffled before the forthcoming monsoon session of the state assembly, state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told newsmen on Monday, soon after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Addressing a hurried press conference at the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi, Deshmukh, who won a confidence vote on Thursday, said that he has been given a green signal by the Congress president to discuss the issue of expansion with AICC general secretary Vayalar Ravi (incharge Maharashtra) before coming to her for a final approval.

Expressing confidence that his government would last a full term, Deshmukh said, "A well-thought of conspiracy was hatched by Union Minister for Information Technology and Communication Pramod Mahajan and BJP national vice-president Gopinath Munde to dislodge his government."

Responding to a question as to how big would be the size of his Cabinet, Deshmukh asserted that the number of ministers, would go up keeping in mind the compulsions of coalition politics.

"It would be very difficult to limit the number of ministers," he explained.

When asked as to what sort of a face-lift he would like to give to his Cabinet after having survived the worst crisis of his 30-month stint, Deshmukh said that changes would be made with the final approval of the party high command.

However, he added that factors like performance of the minister, success in recent local body elections would be taken into consideration while deciding on the retention or induction of anyone in the Cabinet.

Complete Coverage of the Crisis in Maharashtra

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