Tuesday, June 21 2005 11:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Panaji: Congress and NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) sorted out the deadlock of granting cabinet berth to former's MLA 'Mikky' Pacheco who would be sworn as a minister in the Pratapsinh Rane Government in Goa.

"NCP leaders including State chief Wilfred D'souza and Pacheco met Praful Patel, who is in Goa to attend Mukesh Ambani's close aide Anand Jain's daughter's wedding. He in turn spoke to Rane and Congress leader Ahmed Patel and the issue was cleared. They have been assured that Pacheco will be soon given a berth in the ministry," NCP sources said in Panaji.

Pacheco's inclusion in Rane ministry had been a bone of contention between the two parties, with Congressmen opposing it and NCP remaining firm on its stand that both its MLA's should be made ministers.

In the cabinet expansion on June 10, Rane did not include Pacheco in the ministry following which NCP had threatened to withdraw the support.

D'souza who has been appointed as Deputy Chief Minister and given Tourism portfolio, had refused to assume office until Pacheco was also given a berth, as the understanding had been that all those who had resigned from their seats and fought the bypolls would be made ministers.

Congress on the other hand had claimed that the deal was limited to only giving tickets and not ministerial berths.

The party, however inducted all four former BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) MLA's who had resigned from their seats and joined the Congress to fight bypolls.

Today's development will give some relief to Rane Government, which has been plagued with rebellion from its own partymen over cabinet berths.

Goa can have 12 ministers, of which 10 posts have already been filled. One post has been kept vacant for independent MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues whose disqualification petition is pending in the High Court.