5 from Cong, NCP's 2 find place in ministry

NAGPUR: It was a mixed bag for Vidarbha as the Congress got five berths while NCP's two veterans found place in the 38-member ministry that took
oath on Saturday evening in Mumbai. There was an expectation that the Congress would find a better representation because its seat tally improved from 20 in 2004 to 24 this time. And even though this was not meant to be, there was some reason to cheer as city MLA Nitin Raut got promoted to cabinet post while Buldhana district got its due with Subhash Jhanak of Risod getting inducted.

During Vilasrao Deshmukh's regime, there were six ministers from the Congress and five of the NCP from the region. The NCP won only four seats from the this time may have no reason to complain as its two veterans Anil Deshmukh (Katol) and Manohar Naik (Pusad) got inducted. But Rajendra Shingne of Sindkhed Raja, who held a cabinet post in the previous government, was not lucky this time round. Congress MLA from Chimur Vijay Wadettiwar's hopes for a promotion were dampened but he still retained his minister of state status along with Ranjit Kamble, MLA from Deoli-Pulgaon in Wardha.

This will be Anil Deshmukh's fourth term as minister since 1995 when he was first elected as an independent and was rewarded with ministry for supporting the then Shiv Sena-BJP government. Later, he shifted to the NCP since its inception in 1999. He has been a minister all through except for a brief break this year when he was dropped from the Chavan cabinet. His chances were bright as he was the only one to get elected from Nagpur district as the other contender in the district, Ramesh Bang, lost to the BJP from Hingna.

The new Chavan ministry has no representation from five Vidarbha districts of Amravati, Akola, Bhandara, Gondia and Gadchiroli. Yavatmal got it in the form of Naik getting repeated while old warhorse Shivajirao Moghe, as expected, got cabinet berth. There was speculation that MPCC president Manikrao Thakre would be inducted as reward for party's electoral gains. But again, this did not happen. New comers and strong hopefuls like President Pratibha Patil's sone Rajendra Shekhawat and Rahul Gandhi brigade's young MLA Yashomati Thakur, both from Amravati district, could not make it.

With five more from the Congress quota of 23 remaining to be accommodated, there are strong chances that either Shekhawat or Thakur, Gopaldas Agarwal of Gondia or even Sunil Kedar from Nagpur rural may find place in the first expansion of the Chavan ministry. All eyes are now on the portfolios to be allotted in a day or two.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/5-from-Cong-NCPs-2-find-p...