Nine ministers join Dhumal cabinet in Himachal

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has inducted nine ministers into his cabinet in the first phase of expansion of his ministry.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Wednesday inducted nine ministers into his cabinet in the first phase of expansion of his ministry.

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The ministers are Ravinder Ravi, Krishan Kapoor, Ramesh Dhwala, Sarveen Chaudhary, Jagat Prakash Nadda, I.D. Dhiman, Gulab Singh Thakur, Narendra Bragta and Rajiv Bindal.

State Governor VS Kokje administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly appointed ministers at Raj Bhawan on a chilly and wet day here.

Four of the ministers belong to Kangra, the state's most populous district.

There is still space to accommodate two more ministers, as Himachal Pradesh can have a total of eleven.

Dhumal led his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to victory in the state assembly polls in December 2007, winning 41 of the 68 seats. The Congress got 23 seats and others won four.

Dhumal was sworn in as Chief Minister on December 30. The first session of the new assembly will start on Friday.