Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is in no hurry to fill the three vacant slots in his ministry from the Congress quota. The vacancies would obviously come in handy to keep disgruntled heavyweights in his party from creating trouble.Deshmukh had told reporters in New Delhi that he would announce his list of ministers tonight. However, he later blamed the NCP for not being able to formalise the portfolio allocation. ‘‘I have not received the NCP’s list. It is delaying the announcement,’’ Deshmukh said after his return to Mumbai. The announcement will now be made on Friday, said official sources.The CM was in the Capital this morning to hold discussions with senior party leaders over allocation of portfolios. He also met party president Sonia Gandhi to get her formal nod for the portfolio allocation. Asked when he would induct the ministers from the Congress quota, Deshmukh said in Delhi today that he would do so only after the Winter Session of the Assembly at Nagpur. The aspirants include Rohidas Patil, Govind Rao Adik, Amreesh Patel, Kripa Shankar Singh, Rajendra Darda, Vilaskaka Patil and Balasaheb Shivarkar.Kripa Shankar Singh turned up at 10 Janpath along with his family this evening to greet Sonia on the eve of Diwali. A Minister of State in the last ministry, Singh was expecting a promotion this time. He ran into Deshmukh, who was emerging after his second meeting with Sonia.
