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Will NCP follow suit?

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI JAN. 13. The Congress has informed the Nationalist Congress Party, its biggest and key ally in Maharashtra, of its intention to replace the Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh.

The apparent reason is to refurbish the Government's image. The NCP would have to follow suit as both parties have a high stake in returning to power in October 2004 when elections are due.

The change of guard may take place on January 16 after the All-India Congress Committee observers are authorised to carry a message from the Congress Legislature Party on January 15 that it was mandating the party president, Sonia Gandhi, to name Mr. Deshmukh's successor.

The NCP will not, however, simultaneously alter its team in the coalition because the party chief, Sharad Pawar, was leaving for Turkey tonight and would be returning only on January 24.

Interestingly, tomorrow is the 12th anniversary of the rebellion which Mr. Deshmukh launched against Mr. Pawar's Chief Ministership, in concert with Ramrao Adik, Sushilkumar Shinde and A.R. Antulay. Mr. Shinde is considered one of the possible successors to Mr. Deshmukh.

With the Congress likely to drop a few Ministers and pick some new faces, the question is whether Mr. Pawar would review the content of the NCP team and alter it. Till, then it would be status quo for the NCP Ministers.

Sources here said that though the decision to inform the NCP was a courtesy extended to an ally, there was an implicit suggestion that the Congress wanted at least a tacit approval.

The NCP's official stance is that it is not worried about who succeeds Mr. Deshmukh but hopes he would be easy to work with in a coalition.

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