RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Governor Ramen Deka administered the oath of office and secrecy to three ministers -- Gajendra Yadav, Rajesh Agrawal and Khushwant Saheb at the swearing-in function in Raj Bhawan, Raipur on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expanded his ministry almost 20 months after assuming office in December 2023, when the BJP returned to power in Chhattisgarh. With the expansion of the Sai cabinet, the total strength of the state council of ministers rose to 14 for the first time. All three --Yadav (MLA from Durg), Agrawal (MLA-Ambikapur) and Khushwant Saheb (MLA-Arang) are first-term legislators.
CM Sai later distributed the portfolios to the new ministers. While Yadav got school education and Gramodyog, Khushwant Saheb was allotted skill development, technical education & employment and Agrawal was given tourism, culture, religious trust and endowment.
The CM will proceed on his first scheduled 10-day foreign trip to Japan and South Korea on Thursday.
BJP insiders said that the representation following the induction of three new faces will secure caste and regional balance, though several senior BJP MLAs who kept their hopes alive to secure a place in the cabinet felt 'desolate'.
In the Sai Cabinet, there are only three ministers who were in the earlier BJP government led by Dr Raman Singh, which was in power for 15 years and the remaining 11 are new faces.
Chhattisgarh, in accordance with the provision of the Constitution with maximum of 15 per cent of the strength of the Vidhan Sabha permissible for council of ministers, had continued with only 13 ministers, including the chief minister, ever since the state was created in the year 2000. The Chhattisgarh state has 90 legislators and the new cabinet expansion has apparently followed the model of Haryana which too has the same number of elected assembly members.
Former CM Bhupesh Baghel cited the new 14-member cabinet expansion as "unconstitutional". "If the state government has taken a prior approval from the Centre then that should be made public and if not, then such a 14-member cabinet is unlawful. We had also sought the approval from the Centre for a 14-member cabinet but didn't get any response," claimed Baghel.
CM Sai took oath on December 10, 2023, followed by 11 ministers administering oath on December 21, while keeping one post vacant. In June 2024, one more ministerial post fell vacant after a senior BJP leader, Brijmohan Agrawal, an eight-time MLA, was elected as a member of parliament from the Raipur Lok Sabha seat.