By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 26 Mar: Some highly placed sources in the BJP have claimed that the Dhami government is likely to take up cabinet expansion exercise in the first week of April, coinciding with the Navratri festival. They also claimed that alongside the cabinet reshuffle, certain party leaders may also get appointed on Lal Batti posts and that the list of the probable names has been prepared in this regard. Speculation around this development gained resh momentum today as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the RSS office in Jhandewalan in New Delhi and held discussions with senior functionaries.
During his visit, Dhami met prominent Sangh leaders and is scheduled to meet the BJP’s National General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh and other senior BJP leaders late in the evening. His meetings in Delhi have intensified discussions in political circles about the impending cabinet reshuffle. Following the resignation of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prem Chand Agarwal, party leaders have confirmed that at least some of the five vacant ministerial posts will be filled soon. Though the party sources have not discounted the possibility of dismissal of a few current ministers, political analysts do not see such an eventuality. They also claim that appointment of five additional ministers as per the vacancy, itself, will be an adequate move in itself, though some of the portfolios may be reshuffled or shifted following the cabinet expansion. One source however claimed that one of the cabinet ministers might possibly be appointed as Speaker while the incumbent Ritu Khanduri Bhushan might be appointed as a minister.
With Navratri commencing on 30 March, the reshuffle is likely to occur between 7 and 8 April according to the party sources. Preparations for the reshuffle are reportedly complete, with decisions on appointments finalised, awaiting implementation.
Uttarakhand BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt recently stated that cabinet expansion could happen at any time. State General Secretary Rajendra Singh Bisht has echoed this sentiment during an informal chat with the media persons also sharing that several rounds of meetings with central leaders have taken place, and that the list of ministers and the Lal Battis has been finalised. Bisht indicated that experienced BJP workers would be entrusted on key Lal Batti posts.
It may be recalled that the resignation of Prem Chand Agarwal has left five ministerial posts vacant, increasing the workload on existing ministers. CM Dhami currently oversees the maximum number of departments, adding urgency to the reshuffle.
