Chh’garh: Cabinet strength at 14; three new MLAs take oath

Raipur: Three BJP MLAs were inducted into Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai’s Cabinet in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, raising its strength to 14, the highest in the state’s history after the introduction of a constitutional provision to limit the size of the Cabinet size.

Governor Ramen Deka administered the oath of office and secrecy to BJP legislators Rajesh Agrawal, Guru Khushwant Saheb and Gajendra Yadav, all first-time MLAs, at a function held in the Raj Bhavan here.

CM Sai, Assembly speaker Raman Singh, Deputy CMs Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, state ministers and other leaders attended the function.

Gajendra Yadav has been given charge of the school education, law and legal affairs, and cottage industry ministries.

Guru Khushwant Saheb has been made the minister for skill development, technical education and employment, and Scheduled Caste Development department.

Agrawal has been assigned tourism, culture, religious trust and endowment ministries.

Sai congratulated the three new ministers and extended his best wishes to them.

In a statement, Sai expressed confidence that they will serve the people with utmost dedication, commitment and efficiency, and contribute towards taking Chhattisgarh to new heights of development and good governance.

Wishing the ministers a bright tenure, the CM said the state government, driven by collective cooperation and commitment, will continue to make consistent efforts to fulfill the people’s aspirations.

Before the expansion, the Chhattisgarh cabinet had 11 members, including CM Sai.

In Chhattisgarh, which has a 90-member Assembly, 13 MLAs, including the chief minister, have traditionally been part of the cabinet since the introduction of the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, which states that the size of a state’s Council of Ministers, including CM, cannot exceed 15 per cent of total strength of the House.

Chhattisgarh has adopted the “Haryana model,” where 14 ministers, including the CM, serve in a 90-member assembly, as per sources.

Like Haryana, for Chhattisgarh, with 90 members, the limit comes to 13.5, which makes room for 14 Cabinet members.

The expanded cabinet reflects a balance of caste and regional representation.

Of the three newly ministers, Yadav hails from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, Saheb from Scheduled Caste and Agrawal from the general category.