The two leaders hand-picked legislators loyal to them keeping in mind the caste equation needed to ensure a victorious run for the Congress in next year's general elections.
Under the watchful gaze of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot, 23 new ministers were inducted in the Rajasthan state government, 13 of Cabinet rank. Governor Kalyan Singh administered oath of office to the new ministers in Gehlot's council on Monday, almost a fortnight after the Congress swept to power in Rajasthan.
The two leaders hand-picked legislators loyal to them keeping in mind the caste equation needed to ensure a victorious run for the Congress in next year's general elections.
Candidates hailing from Jat and Scheduled Caste communities got a lion's share of the power pie, bagging four berths each. Representatives of Brahmin, Vaishya and Rajput communities — the three communities that comprise the BJP's core vote bank — were also accommodated.
At the time of going to press, Gehlot and Pilot were still engaged in finalising the portfolios of the newly inducted ministers.
Retired bureaucrat Arvind Mayaram, who has served in the ministry of finance and tourism at the Centre, has been appointed economic adviser by Gehlot.
The appointment, it is believed, is a precursor to Gehlot retaining the finance portfolio. It remains to be seen what portfolio Pilot gets to keep as deputy CM.
With the induction of the 23 ministers, 25 berths in the Gehlot government stand occupied. This includes the chief minister and his deputy who took oath on December 17 in the presence of a battery of Congress leaders led by president Rahul Gandhi and the party's allies. As per the Constitution, there can be a maximum of 30 ministers including the chief minister.
Gehlot, however, had to drop some of the party heavyweights who had helmed important portfolios in his previous tenure to make way for Pilot's nominees. Prominent among those who were left out were former Union minister and Rajasthan Cricket Academy president CP Joshi and former Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha Deependra Singh Shekhawat. Both leaders didn't attend the oath ceremony organised at the sprawling lawns of the Raj Bhawan in Jaipur on Monday. Other senior leaders who missed the Cabinet bus include former panchayati raj minister Bharat Singh Kundanpur, former Jaipur MP Mahesh Joshi, former revenue minister Hemaram Choudhary and former tribal area development minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya.
Sources said some of the seasoned leaders were dropped to accommodate Pilot's chosen candidates. Prominent among those who made it to the list are Jaipur MLA Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and Anta (Baran) legislator Pramod Jain Bhaya.
Former leader of Opposition, Rameshwar Dudi, who lost the polls, slipped the ceremony, while actor and former tourism minister Bina Kak, who was denied a ticket, was seen congratulating the new ministers on Monday.
Number Game
- There are now 25 ministers in the Gehlot government, including the chief minister himself and his deputy, Sachin Pilot.
- According to constitutional provision, there cannot be more than 30 ministers in the Rajasthan government. The remaining berths have been left vacant to be filled up after the Lok Sabha elections are conducted on May next year.
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