After a lot of deliberation, the Nationalist Congress Party of Friday evening said it was ready to join the Congress-led government at the Centre.

It is up to the prime minister-designate, Dr Manmohan Singh, to decide what portfolios to allocate to the NCP members, party leader Praful Patel said in New Delhi.

The announcement followed parleys between NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Laloo Prasad Yadav, who denied he was hankering for a key portfolio.

The two had announced that they would jointly decide whether to join the government.