Himachal Cabinet expansion after state Assembly polls: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
Shimla: Heading to complete one year in power next month, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today ignited the hopes of the cabinet aspirants to fill-up three vacancies in the council of ministers.
Sukhu said on Monday that cabinet expansion was very much on the cards.
‘Soon after the state Assembly polls in five states are over, the party high command will take a final call on the induction of three ministers in the cabinet’ he said.
Right now, Sukhu has only eight members in the cabinet and pressures are building-up on to undertake an early expansion of the ministry to give a wider representation to different districts and castes in the cabinet.
The issue in focus is how to share power with state’s biggest districts of Kangra, which has elected a maximum number of MLAs to tilt the power balance to the Congress. Kangra with 15 Assembly seats plays a crucial role in the formation of any government in Himachal Pradesh.
Right now Kangra has the lowest representation in the cabinet while Shimla has the highest number of MLAs—three in the cabinet against seven out of eight ministers.
Kangra has just one cabinet minister – Chander Kumar, a veteran party leader, beside a cabinet rank Chairman of Himachal Pradesh state Tourism Board R S Bali and two Chief Parliamentary secretaries—Ashish Butail and Kishori Lal.
Sukhu did not make Sudhir Sharma, a former minister ,who was seen as a sure choice for induction.
Another Brahmin face from the district—Sanjay Rattan is also feeling ignored while there are Rajput MLAs – Bhawani Pathania and Kewel Singh Pathania eyeing at the bearth in the Kangra quota.
A dalit MLA Yadvinder Goma is also lobbying for the position.
Till now, Sukhu has been avoiding questions on his choice to make another minister from Kangra.
Two other MLAs—Rajesh Dharmani, AICC secretary and senior MLA from Ghumarwin Bilaspur are the strongest contenders who even hinted about his possible induction during the cabinet formation in January 2023.
