Ashok Chavan was today sworn in as the 21st Chief Minister of Maharashtra with his 38-member council of ministers, ending the fortnight-long political logjam with coalition partner NCP over portfolio distribution that delayed government formation.

The two-tier government has 27 cabinet ministers and 11 ministers of state. While 18 ministers are from the Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP has 20.

Chavan, would-be deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal and other ministers were administered the oath of office by Governor S C Jamir at Raj Bhawan lawn here.

Ministers of state in the outgoing government Naseem Khan, Suresh Shetty and Hasan Mushrif were elevated to cabinet rank.

Former ministers R R Patil, Rajendra Darda, Laxmanrao Dhoble, Anil Deshmukh, Shivajirao Moghe and Jaidutt Kshirsagar have made a comeback as cabinet ministers.

Cabinet ministers in the outgoing ministry who have been dropped include Vijaysinh-Mohite Patil, Surupsinh Naik, Dilip Walse Patil, Anees Ahmed, Vimal Mundada, Chandrakant Handore, Nawab Malik, Vinay Kore, Rajendra Shingane, Raviseth Patil, Madan Patil, Rameshchandra Bang and Dilip Deshmukh.

Eleven Ministers of State, including two women, were also sworn-in. Fauzia Khan of NCP is an MLC and Varsha Gaikwad of Congress is an MLA from Dharavi here.

Eleven ministers of state including two women Fauzia Khan of NCP, an MLC, and Varsha Gaikwad of Congress were also sworn in.

Except Ranjit Kamble and Vijay Waddetiwar of Congress, all others--Bhaskar Jadhav, Prakash Solanki, Sachin Ahir, Gulabrao Devkar (all NCP), Padmakar Walvi, Abdul Sattar, Ramesh Bagwe (all Congress)--are new faces.

The installation of the new government was delayed as Congress and NCP had been locked in hard bargaining over sharing of key portfolios and number of ministerial berths for a fortnight.

While NCP had wanted the sharing of portfolios and berths on the basis of 1999 formula when the two parties formed a coalition government for the first time, Congress insisted on a new yardstick in view of changed political realities after the assembly poll this year which saw NCP's relegation as the number two in terms of number of seats secured.

However, the two parties wrapped up the power-sharing deal yesterday.

Second Innings to be a Sterner Test for Chavan

Ashok Chavan faces a sterner test of his leadership and managing skills through the choppy waters of coalition politics after just over 10 months at the helm of affairs in the state in the previous stint.

Chavan's non-controversial image may have landed him the top job after Vilasrao Deshmukh made way in the wake of Mumbai terror attack, but his real test would lie in managing the coalition which took 15 days of hard bargaining between Congress and NCP over portfolios and the number of ministries.

The excellent equations 51-year-old Chavan enjoys with Congress command, specially with Gen Next leader Rahul Gandhi, also helped in no small measure in warding off potential challenges from more seasoned seasoned aspirants Vilasrao Deshmukh and Narayan Rane, both former chief ministers.

The selection of Chavan also underlines the importance of political inheritance in Congress. He inherited the political legacy of his late father S B Chavan, becoming the first father-son duo in the state's history to adorn the chief ministerial chair. The senior Chavan was a loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Hailing from Marathwada, the region to which Vilasrao Deshmukh belongs, Ashok Chavan rode piggyback on his father's political clout and began his political career in 1987 when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Nanded.

In 1999, he was elected to the assembly from Mudkhed and was made cabinet minister for Revenue and Protocol.

He held a variety of portfolios including Transport, Ports, Cultural Affairs, Industries and Mining before being elevated to the chief ministerial chair last year when Vilasrao Deshmukh, a protege of S B Chavan, had to step down in the aftermath of the 26/11 terror attack.

Chavan was also General Secretary of Maharashtra PCC from 1995 to 1999.

During his 10-month stint as Chief Minister, Chavan claims to have expedited projects worth Rs. 50,000 crore to make Mumbai a world class city. Projects awaiting further action include the ambitious Dharavi redevelopment Project, the Bandra-Worli Rajiv Gandhi sea-link extension to Haji Ali and redevelopment of the state secretariat.

The low-profile leader might have managed to make the cut edging past veterans like Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde, besides Rane, his longevity in the chair would depend as much on his ability to manage coalition partner NCP as his equations with the seniors in his own party.