CM Gehlot gets his trusted team lion’s share of portfolios Dy CM Pilot gets to keep PWD, tech & rural development

The deliberations over who gets what in Gehlot government ended in the wee hours on Thursday when the state government allotted portfolios to 23 ministers, including chief minister Ashok Gehlot and deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot. Gehlot has kept nine ministries with him, including home and finance, while Pilot received five ministries, including PWD and rural development.

Since 23 ministers took oath in a ceremony held at the Raj Bhawan on Monday, all eyes were on the portfolios of Pilot who became the deputy CM under power-sharing formula brokered by the party high command. On expected lines Gehlot kept the finance portfolio with him as is the tradition in state. He also laid claim over the home department by keeping the portfolio with himself. 

While Pilot managed to get his team members a place in Gehlot cabinet, there was no consensus on the portfolios at the state level and hence the issue was brought to the notice of party president Rahul Gandhi. 

Gehlot and Pilot held a series of meetings with Congress president Rahul Gandhi separately in New Delhi in a bid to end the stalemate over the allocation of key portfolios, home among other things. A four-hour long meeting by Rahul also could not get the two warring leaders on the same page over the portfolio distribution. Sources said, in a late night move, Pilot agreed to take five departments, following which the deadlock ended.

Pilot has got Public Works Department (PWD), Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Science and Technology and Statistics department. Generally, Panchayatiraj and Rural development are clubbed together, while the statistics department, is overseen by the minister entrusted with the planning department. Gehlot has kept the planning department with himself. “The secretary in charge of planning and statistics department will have to report to Pilot and Gehlot separately,” an official said. 

The departments Sachin Pilot got are important but Gehlot managed to balance the equation by giving two of his trusted lieutenants, Shanti Dhariwal and BD Kalla the cream of the portfolios. 

This time around, most of the ministers of state have been given independent charge. They have, therefore, been given free hand to decide on the day-to-day running of the departments. Among the ministers, Vishwendra Singh has been given the tourism and devasthan departments, while Raghu Sharma has been rewarded with health department. 

Another party heavyweight Pramod Jain Bhaya has been entrusted with mines and gaupalan departments. First-time minister Harish Chaudhary will helm the departments of revenue and  disinvestment, and the Command Area Development. Parsadi Lal Meena is the new industries minister. In his last stint, Rajendra Pareek helmed the department.