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15 new ministers will take oath today in Ashok Gehlot Balancing Act

November 21, 2021
Bharat Times

Ashok Gehlot’s cabinet currently has 20 ministers and there is room for 10 more (File)

Jaipur:
Among the 30 ministers in the fresh cabinet of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, five will be loyal to Sachin Pilot, it was revealed on Saturday night. Mr Gehlot’s revamped cabinet will also have 15 new faces, four of whom will be junior ministers.

Here’s your 10-point cheatsheet for this big story:

  1. Hemaram Choudhary, Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena will be sworn in as ministers, out of five MLAs loyal to former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot – whose rebellion nearly ruined the Congress government last year. Brijendra Singh Ola and Murari Lal Meena will take oath as ministers of state.

  2. Vishvendra Singh – a two-time MLA from Deeg-Kumher – and Ramesh Meena – MLA from Sapotra – make a triumphant return to the Rajasthan cabinet after Chief Minister Gehlot was sacked along with Sachin Pilot in July last year. Mr. Singh placed the Tourism and Devasthan ministries and Mr. Meena in the Food and Consumer Affairs portfolios. Hemaram Choudhary is a six-time MLA and former Revenue Minister from Gudamalani.

  3. Other new faces will be Mahendrajit Singh Malviya, Ramlal Jat, Mahesh Joshi, Mamta Bhupesh, Tikaram Julie, Bhajan Lal Jatav, Govind Ram Meghwal and Shakuntala Rawat. Zahida Khan and Rajendra Singh Gudha will be made ministers of state.

  4. It is not yet clear what role Sachin Pilot will be given after the cabinet reshuffle. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reportedly want Mr Pilot to take charge of party affairs in Gujarat ahead of elections in Prime Minister Modi’s home state next year. However, sources said Mr Pilot is focusing on Rajasthan, where he is expected to be made the chief minister.

  5. The countdown to today’s reshuffle began with a meeting between Mr Pilot and senior Congress leaders in Delhi, including Mr Gandhi, Mrs Gandhi Vadra and party chief Sonia Gandhi. Earlier this week, Mr Pilot said he would like to see a mix of youth and experience in the government and the party leadership. Asked about his ambitions, he said he will do whatever the party says.

  6. A meeting was also held between Chief Minister Gehlot and senior party leaders. Sources said Mrs Gandhi Vadra was present at a meeting last week (Mr Gandhi was not) and the issue of cabinet reshuffle and appointments in state corporations was on the agenda.

  7. Mr Pilot – who led the rebellion against Mr Gehlot – has since been waiting for the chief minister to accommodate his supporters in a revised cabinet. It was part of a deal made by Congress to avoid losing another state.

  8. Before the announcement of the new names, three ministers got the ball rolling by submitting their resignations to Mr. Gehlot. They were Harish Chaudhary, Raghu Sharma and Govind Dotsara. All three held cabinet positions and performed organizational duties.

  9. The trio resigned citing the ‘one post, one person’ or ‘one post, one person’ rule of the Congress. Mr. Choudhary was the Revenue Minister and was made the party in-charge of Punjab. Shri Sharma held several ministerial posts and was made in-charge of Gujarat. Shri Dotasara was the Education Minister as well as the state unit chief of the party.

  10. Sachin Pilot – who spearheaded the party’s revival in Rajasthan – was a contender for the chief minister’s post after the Congress’s 2018 victory. But Rahul Gandhi convinced him to take the place of Mr Gehlot’s deputy. The conflict has continued ever since, and exploded last year after Mr Pilot and 18 MLAs broke ranks and camped in Delhi.

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