While announcing that his cabinet will be expanded next week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said that the doors were still open for talks with estranged ally Shiv Sena.

The Winter Session of the Maharashtra legislature will start on December 8.

"The state cabinet, which was sworn in with eight cabinet-rank ministers and two ministers of state on October 31, will be expanded next week," Fadanvis told reporters at his official residence here.

The Chief Minister denied media reports that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat may mediate between Shiv Sena and BJP to break the deadlock in talks. The RSS chief had nothing to do with the talks with Sena, Fadnavis said.

However, he also said, "The doors for talks with Sena are not closed. In politics such a thing never happens. Talks are possible."

Significantly, talking to reporters in Mumbai, Union Minister and Shiv Sena MP Anant Geete also indicated that his party was not going to pull him out of the Union cabinet, though at present it is at loggerheads with BJP in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister assured that the government was taking steps to deal with the drought-like situation in Marathwada and approaching the Centre for financial assistance.

An official release here said that the Chief Minister met nearly four thousand people as various delegations came to meet him during his visit here today.