The list of ministers include: Minister of state for education Anil Deshmukh (Katol constituency), minister of state for public works Shivajirao Naik (Battis Shirala), minister of state for excise Dilip Sopal (Barshi), minister of state for energy Tukaram Dighole (Sinnar) and minister of state for public health Vijaykumar Gavit (Nandurbar). As expected this is a first step taken by these ministers to join the Nationalst Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar. The official decision is expected after these ministers' meeting with Pawar on Sunday.

State governor PC Alexander, who is on a visit to Kochi, has been officially informed about the sacking of the ministers, Raj Bhavansources here said. Deshmukh, however, told The Financial Express that that they sent in their resignations at 10 am to chief minister Narayan Rane who was away in Pandharpur. "The chief minister's move is an afterthought," he remarked.

Analysts said that Rane had shown the marching orders to these ministers to curb the expected exodus from the other members of council of ministers both independent and Sena-BJP alliance ministers.

However, sources close to the independent legislators from the dissolved assembly said that it is likely that at least two more independent ministers of the total 10 such ministers supporting the saffron alliance government are likely to announce their future course of action within a day or two.

The minister of state for finance Babasaheb Dhabekar (Karanja) and minister of state for agriculcture Harshvardhan Patil (Indapur) who were supposed to join these ministers failed to turn up due to unavoidable circumstances, Deshmukh told reporters at his official residence nearMantralaya.

Deshmukh, who won the Katol seat in Nagpur district in 1995 elections by defeating the official Congress nominee, said that they have yet to take an official decision on joining particular party. "For us all options are open. There have been offers from the ruling Sena, BJP, Congress (I) and Nationalist Congress Party," he added.

Deshmukh said that the coordination committee of the saffron alliance had also laid down the condition of contesting the ensuing assembly elections as an independent sponsored by them. "The situation differs from constituency to constituency and our supporters have authorised to take the final decision," he added.

Naik who had won from the Battis Shirala constituency in Sangli district by defeating the official Congress candidate and former state Congress president Shivajirao Deshmukh said that the decision to resign from the ministry was taken with the sole objective of holding talks with the various parties in an open and free atmosphere.