It was a night of hush and hurry

It was a night of hush and hurry
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, MARCH 8: The proposal for a cabinet reshuffle had been pending for a long time but the final decision was taken last midnight. Once it was decided, it was a flurry of activities till the swearing-in at 6 pm today.

After a brief meeting with Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh decided to drop five cabinet members and induct new faces.

Soon after the proposal was approved, the responsibility of executing the decision was given to Irrigation Minister Ajit Pawar (NCP) and Revenue Minister Ashok Chavan. Those who were going to be in were told at 1.30 am, while those who were going to be out were told around 9 am.

Raj Bhavan had no information on the cabinet reshuffle till 12 noon, but once the official message was received, top officials led by Governor's secretary V.K. Jairath ensured that the necessary preparations were made before the deadline.

Since the order for printing the invitation cards was given at 12 noon, they were ready just 15 minutes before the swearing-in ceremony began.

Of course, Vilasrao Deshmukh does not feel that it was done in hurrry. ``We took the decision in the morning and the swearing-in ceremony was held in the evening. I feel eight to ten hours are enough,'' he said.