Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot meet with Rahul Gandhi conclusive

After a long drawn discussion with Congress national president and senior party leaders, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday presented before the party leadership a tentative list of his ministers at his government. 

According to party sources, Ashok Gehlot is keen on including experienced leaders to his team, deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot intends to extend opportunity to energetic legislators. As both of these effort to get hard work of their supporters rewarded, a large number of party legislators appear among contenders of prized offices at state assembly. Including other constitutional posts such as assembly speaker and political posts of party whip the party is likely to accommodate 28 of its 99 legislators at the Raj assembly. 

“Rahul Gandhi wishes that ministry allocation should not reflect of any internal discontent and thus the chief minister and other senior leaders from Rajasthan have been asked to deliberate further on the list,” said a Congress leader after meeting at Rahul Gandi’s residence concluded on Saturday evening. 

As the list awaits for national president’s nod to make the decision official, the suspense has held over a dozen Congress legislators from Rajasthan camping in Delhi. Amid suspense and long drawn discussions on the issue, Congress leaders maintain allocation of ministry to be a ‘discretionary power of chief minister’. 

However, party leaders do indicate of some former ministers such as CP Joshi, Shanti Dhariwal, Prasadi Lal Meena and Dr Rajkumar Sharma to reappear in the present tenure of Ashok Gehlot. 

The chief minister has reportedly insisted for appointing independent MLAs in ministry in respect of their support to party’ government. Meanwhile, experienced leaders such as Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Ramesh Meena, Bhanwar Singh Bhati and Ashok Chandna are among forerunners among the young contenders. 

Senior party leaders such as former assembly speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat, Lal Chand Kataria and former party state president BD Kalla are also in list of probables to  Ashok Gehlot cabinet. Pokran MLA, Saleh Muhammad and Kama MLA Zahida Khan are expected to represent the minority leaders at state ministry. Few other experienced leaders are recommended for post of assembly speaker and deputy speaker while comparatively younger counterparts get offered post of party whip.

These likely to reappear

• The new Congress government is likely to repeat several old ministers of last Ashok Gehlot government 
• Provision has been made to accommodate MLAs who have won consecutive elections 
• Congress leaders maintain allocation of ministries a ‘discretionary power of chief minister’.
• Former ministers such as CP Joshi, Shanti Dhariwal, Prasadi Lal Meena and Dr Rajkumar Sharma to reappear in Gehlot’s present tenure
• Pratap S Khachariyawas, Ramesh Meena, Bhanwar Singh Bhati and Ashok Chandna are among the young contenders for berths