Congress president Sonia Gandhi here tonight gave a green signal for the expansion of the Vilasrao Deshmukh ministry in Maharashtra. Deshmukh told reporters after a meeting with Sonia that he would submit the names, proposed for induction in to his team, to the Governor tomorrow evening.Deshmukh also said the ministers may be drawn from both Houses, implying that at least one MLC is likely to make it. Former PCC president Govindrao Adik, a favourite of PCC president Prabha Rau, is a front-runner for a ministerial berth from amongst MLCs.Sources reveal that a woman is also likely to make it to the ministry. Shobhana Bachchao from Nasik is also a front-runner for a ministerial berth. Another hot favourite is Balasaheb Shivarkar. When asked if he proposed to drop any minister, Deshmukh said, ‘‘no’’, pointing out the ministry had been in place for only six months.
