Monday and Maya will be in charge: Thakre

The broad deal between the BJP and BSP, yet to be formally announced, says the ministry will be 55-strong, the representation of parties determined in proportion to their strength in the Assembly.

The BJP had to climb down on the issue of the deputy chief minister’s post, while the BSP made three concessions — speakership for the BJP’s Kesari Nath Tripathi, the formulation of a common minimum programme and the setting up of a coordination committee.

Seeking to downplay reports of any rift, Mayawati and Lalji Tandon told journalists that the controversy over the Deputy CM’s post was a media-creation and never an issue between the two parties.

The sources said the BSP could end up getting nearly half the ministerial berths, though the two sides were yet to reach an accord over the division of portfolios. Similarly, the common minimum programme was yet to be drafted and the formula for the composition of the co-ordination committee was yet to be worked out.

RLD leader Ajit Singh was reported to be unhappy over the fact that Mayawati had taken his support for granted. He had wanted adequate representation not only in the ministry but also in the coordination committee, which had been initially described in BSP circles as the ‘‘headache committee’’.