Ashok Chavan to be sworn-in as Maharashtra Chief Minister

Mumbai, Dec 8 (ANI): Ashok Chavan will be sworn-in as the 24th Chief Minister of Maharashtra today.

Besides Chavan, NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal along with several other cabinet and state ministers will also sworn-in at a ceremony to be held at Raj Bhavan here.

Though much changes are not expected in Chavan's cabinet, NCP state unit president Arun Gujarathi and brother of outgoing chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Dilip Deshmukh are expected to be inducted in the ministry with cabinet rank. Apart from Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, 40 other ministers could be inducted into the cabinet with NCP, Congress and Janswraj Party sharing the posts.

Ashok Chavan, an MLA from Nanded and son of former Union Minister S B Chavan, was elected a Member of the Parliament for the first time in 1987.

Earlier, Maharashtra leader Narayan Rane, who was suspended from Congress, had slammed the party for delaying its decision in choosing Vilasrao Deshmukh's successor. He also said that Chavan did not have the experience to be the chief minister of a state. (ANI)