Reshuffle, expansion of Maha ministry to take place next month

NEW DELHI: The much-awaited reshuffle cum expansion of Congress-led ministry in Maharashtra will take place next month, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said on Friday.

Deshmukh got the clearance for effecting the reshuffle cum expansion during a meeting he had with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

"The reshuffle and expansion of Congress-led ministry will take place after the June 2 Goa elections," he told reporters here.

Deshmukh said the exercise will be undertaken in consultation with AICC general secretary Margaret Alva who is incharge of party affairs in the state and neighbouring Goa.

There are two Congress vacancies in the Maharasthra cabinet.

During the meeting with Gandhi, Deshmukh also gave an update on the power crisis in the state and steps taken to overcome it.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had chaired the high-level meeting last week to speed up work on various power projects in the state after which Deshmukh had said the state would get an additional 2,600 MW electricity by December this year.

The state is reeling under a severe power crisis with shortages up to 3,800 MW. The power shortage had peaked to 6,000 MW in April.

Gandhi also sought an explanation from Deshmukh over the defeat of party candidate Subodh Mohite in the Lok Sabha bypolls from Ramtek.

Deshmukh said the party had witnessed large scale dissidence that led to the defeat of Mohite who had joined the Congress recently after quitting Shiv Sena.