Many contenders for the five vacant berths in the State cabinet
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The meeting of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami with the governor lieutenant general (retd) Gurmit Singh on Monday morning, a day after resignation of cabinet minister Prem Chand Aggarwal indicates that the expansion of Dhami cabinet is on the cards. It is expected that along with the expansion the CM can also reshuffle his team.
The CM is expected to visit New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the issue with the central leadership. The Bharatiya Janata Party State president Mahendra Bhatt is already in New Delhi. The CM is expected to meet senior leaders of the party in the national capital and discuss the probable new faces in his cabinet.
It is learnt that the BJP leadership may give a go ahead to the CM for expansion and reshuffle in his cabinet before March 23, the day the Dhami is completing three years of his second tenure as CM of the State.
Three positions in the Dhami cabinet were vacant since March 2022 when CM took oath for the second consecutive time. The number of vacant seats in the Dhami cabinet increased to four after the death of Chandan Ram Das in April 2023. After the resignation of Aggarwal following protests in different parts of his State over alleged use of foul language by the minister against the people of mountainous parts of the State, the number of vacancies in the cabinet have now increased to five.
It is expected that CM can reshuffle his team by removing a couple of controversial and non performing ministers. Speculation is also rife that the speaker Ritu Khanduri can be included in the cabinet.
At present there are as many as seven districts of the State which are at present not represented in the Dhami cabinet. These districts are Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Haridwar, Nainital, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh.
The names of Vikasnagar MLA Munna Singh Chauhan, former state President Madan Kaushik, Dharampur MLA Vinod Chamoli, Devprayag MLA Vinod Kandari, Kedarnath MLA Asha Nautiyal, Bhimtal MLA Ram Singh Kaida, BHEL Ranipur MLA Adesh Chauhan, Kaladhungi MLA Bansidhar Bhagat and Didihat MLA Bishen Singh Chufal are making rounds as possible new faces in the Dhami cabinet.
The BJP leadership is expected to strike regional and caste balance and try to include young leaders in the exercise of cabinet reshuffle and expansion.
