Congress had also excluded its cabinet minister and senior party legislator from Nagpur east Satish Chaturvedi and ministers of state Madhu Chavan (Chinchpokli) and Bhuischandra Savarbande (Adyar) while the NCP has dropped its ministers of state, Rajendra Shingne (Sindkhedraja) and Rajesh Tope (Ambad).

Patil's induction at the eleventh hour by Deshmukh on October 27 was strongly protested by the NCP which had alleged that the chief minister had failed to take them into confidence before inducting him and others into the council of ministers.

NCP had voiced against Patil's inclusion mainly because the latter hails from the Indapur constituency which is close to Baramati, the pocketborough of Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar. NCP was also furious over Patil's induction as the latter was the minister of state in the saffron Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government and had voted in its support during the election to the coveted post of state assembly speaker held on October 22.

Meanwhile, Deshmukh has retained the politically sensitive urban development, cooperation departments along with mining, general administration, information and publicity, earthquake rehabilitation and urban land ceiling during the much awiated porfolio allocation which was completed on Sunday. The deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal has been allocated home and tourism.

A senior NCP minister Padmasinh Patil will be new minister for energy, irrigation (Tapi, Godavari, Vidarbha irrigation corporations), Patangrao Kadam (Congress)-industry, Jayant Patil (NCP)-finance and planning, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil(NCP)-Public Works, Vikaramsinh Patil (NCP)- Public Works- (Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation), Ajit Pawar (NCP)- irrigation (Krishna Valley and Konkan irrigation corporations), Ashok Chavan (Congress)-revenue and protocol, Ranjit Deshmukh (Congress)-agriculture and textile, Datta Meghe (NCP)-food and civil supplies, Dilip Valse Patil (NCP)-higher and technical education, RR Patil (NCP) - rural Development and water supply, Rohidas Patil(Congress)- housing and slums rehabilitation, Hussain Dalwai (Congress)- labour, ports, Ganpatrao Deshmukh (Peasants and Workers Party) - marketing and employment guarantee scheme.

NCP legislator Madhukar Pichad -tribal development and special assistance, Digvijay Khanvilkar (NCP) -public health and medical education, Vasant Chavan (NCP)- excise, Anantrao Deokate (Congress) -dairy development and animal husbandry, Vilas Patil (Congress) -law and judiciary, Shivaji Moghe (Congress)- transport, Ramkrishna More (Congress) -schools education, Makhram Pawar (Bahujan Mahasnagh) -trade and commerce, Jayavantrao Awale (Congress) -social welfare, Surupsinh Naik (Congress) - forest and environment.

Congress legislators Manikrao Thakre and Kripashankar Sinh will be ministers of state for home. Thakre will look after rural areas while Sinh will be in charge of urban areas.