BHOPAL/NEW DELHI: The much-awaited second expansion of the Madhya Pradesh cabinet will take place on Thursday, with at least 22 new ministers likely to be inducted into the six-member team of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
While no less than eight legislators from Jyotiraditya Scindia camp are likely to get a berth in the ministry, sources said some of Chouhan’s loyalists may not find a place in his team, which could have more fresh faces.
The cabinet expansion will come a day after UP Governor Anandiben Patel — who has been given the additional charge of MP since incumbent Lalji Tandon is hospitalised — took oath in Bhopal. She is likely to fly back to Lucknow on Thursday after administering the oath to the new ministers.
“Manthan se toh amrit hi nikalta hai, vish toh Shiv pee jaatein hain (brainstorming leads to nectar; the poison is consumed by Lord Shiva),” Chouhan told media.
This is being seen as a symbolic admission that the expanded cabinet might not include those whom he wanted. BJP’s central leadership is said to have cleared the list of ministers after three days of meetings.
BJP sources said Chouhan’s loyalists — former ministers Rampal Singh, Rajendra Shukla and Bhupendra Singh — may not find place in the cabinet. New faces who could be part of the cabinet team are Ramesh Mendola, Usha Thakur (both from Indore), Mohan Yadav (Ujjain), Prem Singh Patel (Barwani), Yashpal Singh Sisodiya (Mandsaur), Kunwar Singh Tekam (Dhauhani) and Ram Khelawan Patel (Amarpatan-Satna).
The number of Scindia loyalists in the expanded team could go up to 10. However, it’s not yet clear whether two existing ministers, home and health Minister Narottam Mishra and Scindia-loyalist cabinet minister Tulsi Silawat, will be elevated to the post of Deputy CMs.
The BJP brass had to burn the midnight oil to finalise the names for probable ministers, sources said.
“Besides Scindia, the CM will have to take care of the power centres of Narendra Singh Tomar, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Narottam Mishra. The quartet poses a ‘chakravyuha’ for Chouhan,” they said.