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I will win confidence motion by nine votes: Deshmukh

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has claimed that he would win the confidence motion on Thursday by a 'convincing margin of at least nine votes', but charged key Bharatiya Janata Party central ministers of 'precipitating the political imbroglio'.

"Encouraged by the victory in the Goa polls, BJP high command wants to wrest power in Maharashtra and people like Pramod Mahajan and Arun Jaitley spearheaded the party move to split key DF constituents," Deshmukh told PTI in an interview on Tuesday night.

Asserting that he would complete the five-year term, Deshmukh said. "Total reshuffle of the ministry will be undertaken after the government sails through trust motion, to accommodate smaller constituents."

He said he was keeping Congress president Sonia Gandhi posted about the developments in the state and added that 'Congress president's explicit advice and instructions to me is that the DF government, in an important state like Maharashtra, must survive'.

He alleged that the saffron combine in the state took up the cudgels against his government 'with active support of BJP high command and the Union government'.

"The communal forces are using all possible means and muscle and money power to wean away DF MLAs and dislodge my government ... a culture hitherto unheard of in the state," the chief minister alleged.

Blaming Sena-BJP combine for engineering splits in Janata Dal (S), Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and other parties, Deshmukh said, ".... ultimately, what has happened, all rebel MLAs have attracted provisions of anti-defection law and put at stake their entire political careers."

To a query, Deshmukh said he was open to negotiating key portfolios like home and finance, at present being held by NCP heavyweights.

"I am ready to undertake total reshuffle as far as ministries held by Congress are concerned but for other portfolios, NCP has to take the decision," he added.

He said even Deputy Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal, who holds home ministry, and other NCP leaders have publicly favoured 'reshuffle based on the performance of ministers'.

Diagnosing that Congress-NCP alliance with saffron groups at district and block level has 'created the real problem' for the ruling dispensation, Deshmukh said the party would come down heavily on elements entering into such understandings and 'take care not to repeat it in future'.

However, he avoided blaming Pradesh Congress leadership 'for the lapse'.

In a lighter vein he said the 'worst crisis in my 30-year old political career has come more as an invited trouble. I have learnt lessons from this', referring to re-induction of NCP's Sunil Tatkare that triggered off the turmoil.

Stopping short of calling NCP 'adamant' over Tatkare's re-induction, Deshmukh said, "It was a calculated risk. I did my best to convince NCP that taking back Tatkare would have far-reaching adverse impact."

He, however, said, "I do not have any grudge against PWP for withdrawing support as they have always made the point amply clear."

Complete Coverage of the Crisis in Maharashtra

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