News Analysis India

Tag: Rajasthan cabinet expansion

  • Gehlot’s new team ready: 11 Cabinet Ministers, 4 new MoS to take the oath; 5 from Pilot camp

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: The list of new ministers of the Gehlot government has been announced. After a long struggle, the Gehlot cabinet is all set for expansion today. 

    According to the list released by the Congress party, a total of 15 ministers will take oath today.  Of these, 11 will be sworn in as Cabinet Minister and 4 as Ministers of State.

    Five of the new ministers will be from the Sachin Pilot faction.  The list of newly appointed ministers was released late on Saturday night. Three existing ministers of state will be promoted as Cabinet Ministers. It is expected that after the expansion of the cabinet, the one-and-a-half year political crisis between Gehlot and Pilot camp will come to an end.

    The ministers who will take oath as part of the cabinet include Hemaram Chaudhary, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Ramlal Jat, Dr Mahesh Joshi, Vishvendra Singh, Ramesh Meena, Mamta Bhupesh Bairwa, Bhajan Lal Jatav, Tikaram Julie, Govind Ram Meghwal and Shakuntala Rawat.  

    Zahida Khan, Brijendra Singh Ola, Rajendra Singh Gudha and Murarilal Meena are included as Ministers of State.

    Members from the Sachin Pilot faction who have been rewarded with ministerial berths are Hemaram Chaudhary, Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena. Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena had lost their seats in the political crisis followed by the Sachin Pilot’s rebellion last year. Now both of them will be back in the cabinet. Pilot loyalists Brijendra Singh Ola and Murari Lal Meena have been made Ministers of State.

    During the political crisis, 13 independent MLAs had supported the Gehlot government and they were expecting to get a place in the cabinet. However, their hopes have been crushed. Out of the six MLAs who joined Congress from BSP, one person has entered the Gehlot cabinet with Rajendra Singh Gudha being made Minister of State.

    The swearing-in ceremony will take place on Sunday at 4 pm in Raj Bhavan. All the ministers have been called to the state Congress headquarters at 2 pm on Sunday and from there, they all will go to the Raj Bhavan.  

    In the meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the CM residence on Saturday evening, resignations were taken from all the ministers.  The resignations of only 3 ministers who have been removed have been accepted. In the first phase, only these three ministers will be dropped.  

    It is believed that there will be a huge reshuffle in the portfolios of the ministers. Except for a few of them, the portfolios of most of Cabinet members will be changed. The new portfolios have also been decided at by the Congress High Command and the decision will be disclosed after the swearing-in ceremony.

  • Gehlot’s new team ready: 11 Cabinet Ministers, 4 new MoS to take oath; five from Pilot camp

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: The list of new ministers of the Gehlot government has been announced. After a long struggle, the Gehlot cabinet is all set for expansion today. 

    According to the list released by the Congress party, a total of 15 ministers will take oath today.  Of these, 11 will be sworn in as Cabinet Minister and 4 as Ministers of State.

    Five of the new ministers will be from the Sachin Pilot faction.  The list of newly appointed ministers was released late on Saturday night. Three existing ministers of state will be promoted as Cabinet Ministers. It is expected that after the expansion of the cabinet, the one-and-a-half year political crisis between Gehlot and Pilot camp will come to an end.

    The ministers who will take oath as part of the cabinet include Hemaram Chaudhary, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Ramlal Jat, Dr Mahesh Joshi, Vishvendra Singh, Ramesh Meena, Mamta Bhupesh Bairwa, Bhajan Lal Jatav, Tikaram Julie, Govind Ram Meghwal and Shakuntala Rawat.  

    Zahida Khan, Brijendra Singh Ola, Rajendra Singh Gudha and Murarilal Meena are included as Ministers of State.

    Members from the Sachin Pilot faction who have been rewarded with ministerial berths are Hemaram Chaudhary, Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena. Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena had lost their seats in the political crisis followed by the Sachin Pilot’s rebellion last year. Now both of them will be back in the cabinet. Pilot loyalists Brijendra Singh Ola and Murari Lal Meena have been made Ministers of State.

    During the political crisis, 13 independent MLAs had supported the Gehlot government and they were expecting to get a place in the cabinet. However, their hopes have been crushed. Out of the six MLAs who joined Congress from BSP, one person has entered the Gehlot cabinet with Rajendra Singh Gudha being made Minister of State.

    The swearing-in ceremony will take place on Sunday at 4 pm in Raj Bhavan. All the ministers have been called to the state Congress headquarters at 2 pm on Sunday and from there, they all will go to the Raj Bhavan.  

    In the meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the CM residence on Saturday evening, resignations were taken from all the ministers.  The resignations of only 3 ministers who have been removed have been accepted. In the first phase, only these three ministers will be dropped.  

    It is believed that there will be a huge reshuffle in the portfolios of the ministers. Except for a few of them, the portfolios of most of Cabinet members will be changed. The new portfolios have also been decided at by the Congress High Command and the decision will be disclosed after the swearing-in ceremony.

  • Ahead of cabinet reshuffle, Ajay Maken meets Rajasthan MLAs

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR:  In a bid to placate the Sachin Pilot camp and take a feedback before the expected reshuffle of the Gehlot Cabinet in the first week of August, the AICC General Secretary and the Rajasthan Congress in charge, Ajay Maken has started holding meetings with Congress MLAs on Wednesday.

    His two-day trip to Jaipur comes at a time when speculations about Rajasthan Cabinet expansion are growing stronger. He held discussions with MLAs individually to listen to their views to avoid resentment. Other political appointments are likely to take place only after the Cabinet rejig.

    Leaders and MLAs who met with Maken revealed that they were asked about the conduct of ministers, their performance and complaints, and to name their preferences for district and block presidents. Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said that, “They are taking a feedback on government schemes and on how to strengthen the Congress in the state. Ajay Maken has also asked us to give a feedback on how the Congress government can be repeated in the state in 2023.”

    Ved Prakash Solanki, an MLA from the Pilot camp, also seemed quite satisfied after the meeting. “It’s very heartening that the High Command is listening to the views of every MLA. We hope that like in Punjab, corrective actions in Rajasthan will be initiated quickly,” he said.

    Maken is likely to meet Independent MLAs supporting Gehlot and former BSP MLAs who joined the Congress two years ago. A major issue in the reshuffle is to accommodate some of these MLAs as they played a key role in saving the Congress government when Pilot had revolted.

    Meanwhile, CM Ashok Gehlot also held a review meeting on Wednesday to evaluate the performance of his ministry and to look into the criticism of the Pilot faction that promises of the 2018 election were not fulfilled.

  • Congress-ruled Rajasthan Cabinet expansion likely next week: Party sources

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: The Congress-ruled Rajasthan is likely to see Cabinet expansion and political appointments next week, party sources said on Saturday.

    AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge for Rajasthan arrived here on Saturday night and went to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s residence to hold a discussion with him.

    The sources said that the agenda of the meeting is cabinet reshuffle and other political appointments.

    “Both the leaders have arrived in Jaipur tonight by road,” they said.

    Venugopal is also a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan.

    After Punjab, the party high command has shifted its focus to Rajasthan, where demands for Cabinet expansion and political appointments gained momentum after reports of resentment in the camp led by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who along with 18 MLAs had rebelled against the leadership of Gehlot last year.

    A couple of days ago, Pilot had indicated that the Congress would take suitable steps soon to address issues raised by him.

    He had said that he is in touch with the party high command over the issues raised by him and hoped that the required steps would be taken soon.

    Pilot was sacked as the deputy chief minister and the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief in July last year after he rebelled against the leadership of Gehlot after a one-month-long political crisis, the party high command announced to form a three-member committee to look into the issues raised by him.

    Last month, MLAs from Pilot camp said that the party should fulfil the promises made to Pilot last month, following which the demand for Cabinet expansion and political appointments gained momentum.

    At present, there are 21 members in the council of ministers, including chief minister, and nine slots are vacant.

    Rajasthan can have a maximum of 30 ministers.

  • Discussions underway for Rajasthan Cabinet expansion: Ajay Maken

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: AICC general secretary incharge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken on Tuesday said discussions are underway for the cabinet expansion and other political appointments in the state.

    The demands for political appointments and cabinet rejig gained momentum after reports of resentment in the camp led by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who along with 18 MLAs had rebelled against the leadership of CM Ashok Gehlot last year.

    When asked about the cabinet reshuffle and other political appointments in the state, Maken said, “The work is in progress. It means that discussions with all are being held.”

    “It is true that ministerial slots in the cabinet are empty and political appointments are to be made. District and block-level appointments in the party organisations would also take place. It is our endeavour to hold discussion with all,” he said after a meeting with party office-bearers here.

    Maken said discussions with the chief minister will also be held.

    Asked about the internal issues between the party leaders, Maken said that differences of opinion and thoughts remain in every party and not alone in the Congress.

    “Only the Congress is visible to you, you don’t see the BJP. At any point of time, in every state and in every party, leaders with different thoughts remain. Is it possible for any party not to have different thoughts? Are there no differences in the BJP?” he asked.

    “It is our endeavour to take decisions with the consent of all,” he said.

    Maken also praised the Ashok Gehlot-led government, saying the state government “presented an example during the coronavirus pandemic”.

    During the party meeting, Maken also reviewed the preparations for a campaign against inflation and the Union government starting Wednesday.

    He said Congress workers and members of all frontal organisations will take part in various activities under the campaign.

    Maken said pamphlets will be distributed by the Congress workers across the state to highlight “discrimination of the Centre against the state government over Covid vaccination” besides telling achievements of the state government.