Maharashtra: New ministers to be sworn in today

New Delhi/Mumbai: The swearing-in ceremony of Maharashtra's new ministers will be held today, Chief Minister-elect Ashok Chavan said yesterday, 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 will call on Governor S.C. Jamir in the evening and stake a formal claim to forming the new state government.

Negotiations

"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.

Chavan met Congress president Sonia Gandhi as well as senior leaders like A.K. Antony and Ahmad Patel to discuss issues related to cabinet formation.

"Proposals" regarding portfolio allocation were expected to get the high command's clearance on Friday, he added.

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

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