Congress president Sonia Gandhi gave her consent to chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to carry out the cabinet reshuffle-cum-expansion.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi gave her consent to chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to carry out the cabinet reshuffle-cum-expansion.
Those who are likely to face the axe are textile minister Satish Chaturvedi, minister for school education Vasant Purke, minister for animal husbandry and dairy development Anees Ahmed and minister of state for rural development Ranjit Kamble. An AICC general secretary said, “The chief minister at a meeting with the central leadership indicated that performance of the Democratic Front government will become crucial in the election year. Moreover, it is time the government gets rid of ministers in the cabinet who have constantly worked against the Congress in their respective regions.”
The state cabinet can accommodate 42 ministers of which Congress has a quota of 18, and its alliance partner, NCP 24. Now there are four vacant berths — two each for Congress and NCP. A political manager of Deshmukh said, “The chief minister has been trying to reshuffle cabinet for the last 18 months. Whenever he put up the ministers to be dropped, he was overruled by then MPCC chief Prabha Rau.”
Textiles minister Chaturvedi has crossed swords with union minister for conventional energy Vilas Muttemwar in Nagpur (Vidarbha), and may be penalised. The CM has marked Purke’s report card ‘red’ for courting controversy.
Anees Ahmed had embarrassed Deshmukh when he challenged him during the Wakf land controversy alleging CM’s kith and kin were involved in the land scam. Kamble, a junior minister, managed to survive as he was Prabha Rau’s candidate. Now that she has no role in MPCC, chief minister is planning to replace him with an “able” candidate.
Two theories are emanating from the state Congress. Indications are that after the appointment of Gurudas Kamat as MPCC campaign committee chairman, the party has closed its options for Narayan Rane, who had resigned from the cabinet. Rane is thus left with the choice of withdrawing his resignation or be a mere party worker.
If Rane were to soften his stand and return to cabinet, observers said the high command may consider recruiting his supporter to one of the berths in state cabinet as a face-saver.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}