Rajasthan: Ministerial allocation balances regions & communities

Portfolio allocation for Rajasthan that took three days, exhibits a fine exercise of balancing power and people. It also serves to give a message to various regions and communities, as it places senior legislators with prior experience in positions where swift action is needed before elections. 

While chief minister Gehlot gets to keep nine departments, including home, finance and planning, his deputy, Sachin Pilot, gets two vital departments that ensure grassroots connect for the PCC president. Once again through portfolio allocation Congress shows it is laying out battle lines for the general elections of 2019.   

Congress had been in agitation mode over the last three years. It successfully cashed in on the ire of Brahmin and Rajput communities, who were committed voters of BJP.  

The Congress governments have announced loan waiver for farmers, but its implementation needs to be carried out on priority. This places a huge responsibility on Gehlot and agriculture minister Lal Chand Kataria. Congress’s plan of restarting Gehlot’s free medicine scheme rests with Raghu Sharma who has medical and health, while two most important portfolios of the desert state, water and electricity, are with BD Kalla. 

Equally important to loan waiver is ensuring water to farmers for the rabi crops. With important portfolios between them, these two also serve as poster boys of Gehlot government and spread the message of inclusiveness by according importance to the Brahmin community.  

Similarly Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and Bhanwar Singh Bhati the two Rajput ministers have important portfolios. Khachariyavas has transport and Sainik Kalyan, which is important in Rajasthan, the state where the number of martyrs is high. Bhati has independent charge of higher education.

Pilot’s portfolios ensure enhanced grassroots connect. His charge as PCC president along with minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj places him in direct connect with the public representatives.

Land regularisation and registration of lands is an important issue in the urban areas and senior man on the post for UDH is Shanti Dhariwal, who has the requisite experience of having done the same in his first tenure. Two departments that were cause of much trouble for BJP, the mines department and cow ministry, go to senior legislator Pramod Bhaya who has the task of keeping it away from controversy.          

The ministers who took charge of office on Thursday have approximately 100 days of work before general elections are announced. This places before them the challenge of performing before general elections next year.