Striking the right balance
More than three years after the Ashok Gehlot-led government came into power in 2018 in Rajasthan, it has finally come out with a cabinet reshuffle — which was eagerly awaited by various factions of the party. The government had initiated with a bad omen with party's star campaigner Sachin Pilot deciding to side with the BJP along with 18 MLAs who supported him. Thanks to the intervention made by Congress high command, a liaison was established later, and the party now appears to be on a firm footing. The recent by-elections for two assembly seats in the state — where it wrested one seat from the BJP and retained the another — is only indicative of the current political sentiment across the state. With just two years left ahead of the next assembly elections and sweeping performance in the by-elections, the decision to shuffle the cabinet appears to be a smart and well-timed move. It will give the Congress a momentum to set the agenda for the next assembly elections. Apart from timing, what the Cabinet reshuffle ensures is a house in order for the party and greater political inclusion across different sections of society. In pursuit of striking a balance between the two conflicting factions within the Congress, the party has essentially reinstated the erstwhile cabinet ministers who had earlier resigned, or were suspended, from the Party on account of supporting Pilot during the resistance. The then cabinet ministers — Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena — were not only removed from ministerial positions but were also suspended from Congress party's primary membership. Their inclusion was, in fact, one of the demands put forward by the Pilot faction ahead of the reshuffle; and the party has ceded to it. This raises certain questions around political morality. It is no doubt that parties and party members must base their decision on political equations, but blatantly ignoring the ideological allegiance in doing so is a sign of raw politics. Let there be at least a veil of morality while making political decisions. If there is a debate around opportunistic defections by party members, political parties must also be held accountable for the inclusions and exclusions they make. Nevertheless, the move was pertinent for the party. Apart from these three erstwhile ministers, Brijendra Singh Ola and Murari Lal Meena of the Pilot camp have also been made state ministers. So, the inclusion of some of these members who are of senior rank and have high winnability factor in their respective constituencies, was quite obvious. Apart from these five ministers from Pilot camp, the remaining 10 have been picked from the Gehlot camp. The greater political design behind the cabinet reshuffle is, however, the political inclusion of deprived factions of society. Of the 15 new ministers, seven come from the SC / ST category. Call it political or whatever, it is a remarkable gesture by the state government. To look back at the people who have been instrumental in not just ensuring the victory of the alliance, but also the consolidation of party majority later, is a step in the right direction. This will no doubt embolden the public trust in the favor of the government and help to consolidate the votes of SCs and STs. Apart from SCs and STs, there appears to be an attempt to get local communities like Jats and Gujjars into confidence. It is well-known that Jats constitute a strong political force in the state, and the four of the new ministers come from this community. Further, the party also appears to focus on women. In totality, the new council of ministers in Rajasthan will have 30 ministers — four among them from SC community, three from ST community, two from Gujjars, and three are women. It can be mentioned here that Congress alone has crossed the required majority in the 200-member assembly. And, by setting its house in order, and maintaining the trust of people, it makes it clear that it is not going to cede its dominance in the state anytime soon. But the cabinet reshuffle is not just about gaining political mileage, it is likely to improve the governance scenario in the state as well. The number of vacancies in the council was just nine, and the number of new ministers is 15. Clearly, the extra ministers will be utilised to share the portfolio burden of existing ministers, many of whom hold multiple portfolios. On this front, the government has come right but late. It is already halfway across its tenure, and many opportunities of better governance have been missed. It will be interesting to see how the Rajasthan cabinet shuffle works out — both politically and in terms of governance.