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Congress finalises long-awaited cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan
A long-awaited cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan was finalised on Wednesday after a meeting between chief minister Ashok Gehlot and general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ajay Maken and KC Venugopal
A long-awaited cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan was finalised on Wednesday after a meeting between chief minister Ashok Gehlot and general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ajay Maken and KC Venugopal.
Congress functionaries aware of developments said former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot’s associates are likely to get at least four ministerial berths and those close to Gehlot five. There are nine vacancies in the 30-member council of ministers and vacancies are pending since July 2020, when Pilot and two lawmakers loyal to him resigned during a rebellion against the chief minister.
At present, there are 21 ministers in the Rajasthan council of ministers, including CM Gehlot.
“The CM has taken approval of the names for induction in the cabinet,” a senior party functionary familiar with the developments said.
The senior leader said after the expansion, posts in different corporations and commissions will also be filled by leaders close to both Pilot and Gehlot. He added that after lengthy discussions and deliberations by Maken with both groups, the expansion was finalised. Maken met Pilot on Wednesday morning. A second party leader said that there is a possibility of dropping three ministers in addition to the nine vacancies. The second party leader said the date for expansion is likely to be communication to governor Kalraj Mishra when Gehlot returns to Jaipur on Thursday.
“I spoke on the political situation in the state. We are constantly demanding changes, where ever necessary. It has been around three years since the Congress government was sworn in and the party workers, who worked hard to bring party to power, needs to be given their political due. This should be ensured as only 22-23 months are left to next assembly elections,” Pilot said.
