Himachal’s cabinet expands as ministers took an oath, allocated by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, in a swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan. This enabled the much-awaited Himachal Pradesh cabinet expansion after delays due to ‘Rahu Kal’. The Himachal Pradesh cabinet headed by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was expanded with the induction of seven ministers, taking the total strength to nine.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to the newly inducted ministers including eldest MLA Dhani Ram Shandil from Solan, Chander Kumar from Jawali in Kangra district, Harshwardhan Chauhan from Shillai in Sirmaur district and Jagat Singh Negi from tribal Kinnaur district. Rohit Thakur, Anirudh Singh and Vikramaditya Singh from Jubbal-Kotkhai, Kasumpti and Shimla (Rural) in Shimla district respectively were also among those inducted.
Besides the position of deputy speaker, three seats are still vacant as a maximum number of ministers, including the chief minister, cannot overreach 12. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had on Saturday visited Delhi where he reportedly held considerations with top party leaders on the possible names. He said he had handed over the list for induction in his ministry to the Congress high command for approval. The cabinet expansion comes amid hype and speculation over the names of new ministers since Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri took oath nearly a month ago after the Congress’ win in the assembly elections. The CM and his deputy had taken oath on December 11, 2022.
CM Sukhu had maintained that the cabinet would be expanded in consultation with the high command and it would be a mix of professionals, youth and representatives of various sections. The Congress that won 40 out of 68 assembly seats faced a daunting task due to the aspirations of various regions, castes and factions for representation. The party has to strike a balance while inducting old and new faces.
Until now, Chief Minister Sukkhu had kept the Finance, General Administration, Home, Planning, Personnel and portfolios of all the other departments. Deputy Chief Minister Agnihotri held Jal Shakti Vibhag, Transport and Language, Arts and Culture portfolios.
