Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
NewsBits.in
BHOPAL: Nine new ministers were sworn into Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s cabinet on Thursday, bringing about the long overdue expansion.
Archana Chitnis made a return to Chouhan’s cabinet. Apart from her, the three cabinet ministers include Om Prakash Dhurve, Rustam Singh and Jaibhan Singh Pavaiya.
Rustam Singh is an ex-minister and also former IPS officer while Pavaiya, who hails from Gwalior, is a former national president of Bajrang Dal. He is considered a fierce anti-Scindia politician from the region.
The five who took oath as ministers of state include Vishwas Sarang, Lalita Yadav, Harsh Singh, Sanjay Pathak and Surya Prakash Meena. Sanjay Pathak, who had quit Congress to fight on BJP ticket and was elected in the by-poll, is among those who got a place in the cabinet.
Vishwas Sarang represents Bhopal in the cabinet. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Raj Bhawan in the evening.
Earlier in the day, veteran BJP leader and former chief minister Babulal Gaur was forced to resign.
The octogenarian leader and who has been holding the Home portfolio, is unhappy with the decision. Another senior leader Sartaj Singh, who was PWD Minister was also excluded from cabinet.
Hectic political maneuvers preceded the evening time swearing-in ceremony as meetings were held in the CM House and later state BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chouhan and party in-charge of MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe visited the official residences of Gaur and Singh, to convey the decision of dropping them.
