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Congress, NCP agree to prune ministry

The crisis in the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra between its two major partners, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, over the large size of the ministry blew over today when both parties agreed to reduce the number of ministers from 61 to 55.

Emerging from a two-hour meeting, Chief Minister Vilas Deshmukh and his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal told reporters that they had decided to reduce the size of the ministry to 55.

While the Congress will drop one minister of Cabinet rank and three ministers of state, the NCP will drop two ministers of state. But the names of the ministers to be dropped were not decided.

"Whom to drop will be decided tomorrow," Deshmukh said. With this, the portfolio allocation, which was hanging in the balance since the government was formed, is likely to be done tomorrow.

The meeting was held at the residence of senior NCP politician and Cabinet minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil at Worli in south-central Bombay.

At the crucial meeting, it was also decided that the performance of the ministers would be assessed after the Nagpur session of the state legislature and reshuffle them or even drop some.

The crisis in the Democratic Front started soon after the second phase of induction on Wednesday, when the strength of the ministry was increased to 61 from 28.

In the first phase on October 19, Dussehra Day, 26 ministers had been sworn in.

The partners in the Democratic Front are the Congress, NCP, Peasants and Workers Party, Bharatiya Bahujan Mahasangh, Republican Party of India (Gawai), Republican Party of India (Athawale), Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (Secular), Communist Party of India-Marxist (support from outside) and independents.

The NCP had yesterday boycotted the Cabinet meeting of the newly formed government on the matter.

UNI

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