New Maharashtra govt likely Monday: Deshmukh

The new Maharashtra government is likely to be sworn in on Monday, chief minister-designate Vilasrao Deshmukh said on Saturday.

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"Tentatively, the new government is likely to be sworn in on Monday, November 1. I am meeting the governor today to stake claim to form the government," he told reporters after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Caretaker Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Prabha Rau were present at the meeting with Gandhi.

Asked if the Congress would seek a letter of support from the Nationalist Congress Party, Deshmukh said there was no need for it as the two parties had a pre-poll alliance.

The chief minister-designate said he would like to thank the Congress president for entrusting the leadership of the state to him.