JAIPUR: The long-pending cabinet reshuffle in the Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government went off smoothly on Sunday afternoon, with dissident leader Sachin Pilot claiming it sent a positive message across the state. In all, 11 cabinet ministers and four ministers of state (MoS) were sworn in.
The 11 cabinet ministers include three who have been elevated from MoS. As a result, only 12 new ministers were inducted. Three ministers — Govind Singh Dotasra, Harish Chaudhary and Raghu Sharma — who hold key positions in the party have been dropped. All others have been retained.
The reshuffle exercise is a bid to pacify the Pilot faction, which had revolted against Gehlot last year and sparked off a major crisis for the Congress. Pilot, a former Rajasthan deputy chief minister, figures nowhere in the Cabinet. Only a respectable position for him will ensure long-term peace and harmony in the state party unit.
The ministers who took oath as a part of the cabinet include Hemaram Chaudhary, Ramlal Jat, Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Mahesh Joshi, Vishvendra Singh, Ramesh Meena, Mamta Bhupesh, Bhajan Lal Jatav, Tikaram Julie, Govind Ram Meghwal and Shakuntala Rawat. Dalits, women and tribals got good representation in the revamped ministry.
Among those sworn in on Sunday, Hemaram Chaudhary, Vishvendra Singh and Ramesh Meena are regarded as integral members of the Pilot camp and took oath as cabinet Ministers. Singh and Meena had to lose their seats in the political crisis that erupted over the Pilot rebellion last year. Brijendra Singh Ola and Murari Lal Meena, who have been made MoS, are also Pilot loyalists.
Gehlot also appointed five MLAs as his advisors, three of whom are among the 13 Independents supporting his government. Also, one of the ex-BSP MLAs who joined the Congress has been included.
More Jat & Dalit representation
Gehlot’s cabinet now has four Jat faces, as the Jats play a key role in about 50 seats. Three Dalit ministers, Mamta Bhupesh, Bhajanlal Jatav, Tikaram Julie, have been promoted from minister of state to cabinet rank