Mumbai: As part of the downsizing programme under the new constitutional amendment, Maharashtra Chief Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde has dropped four Cabinet Ministers and 18 Ministers of State today (July 6, 2004).

Five Ministers of State have been elevated as Cabinet Ministers.

They are Vimal Mundada, Manohar Naik, Nawab Malik (all from Nationalist Congress Party) and Prakash Awade and Anees Ahmed (both Congress), Shinde said.

They will be administered the oath of office tomorrow, he added.

Cabinet Ministers removed are: Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar and Babasaheb Dhabedkar (Congress) and Dilip Valse-Patil and Digvijay Khanwilkar (both NCP).

The Ministers of State dropped are: Prashant Hire, Subhash Thakre, Rajesh Tope, Rajendra Shingane, Hemant Deshmukh, Ram Raje Nimbalkar (all NCP) and Balasaheb Thorat, Chandrakant Shivarkar, Bandu Sawarbandhe, Basavraj Patil, Chandrakant Chajed and Manikrao Thakre (all Congress).

Independents who faced axe include Dharamrao Baba Atram, Digambar Bagal, Vinayakrao Jadhav-Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Ramdas Bodakhe and Ajit Ghorpade.