Rajasthan cabinet expansion: Vasundhara Raje inducts 6 new ministers, including Dalit MLA

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inducted 8 new ministers in her government today in her second cabinet expansion after October 2014.

The development came on the eve of the Raje government completing 3 years in power.

Those inducted as cabinet ministers included Ajay Singh Kilak, Babulal Verma, Shrichand Kriplani and Jaswant Yadav. Those brought in as state ministers included Banshidhar Bajiya, Kamsa Meghwal, Dhansingh Rawat and Sushil Katara.

NAMES OF INDUCTEES

Srichand Kriplani has been allocated the Urban Development and Housing ministry, Jaswant Yadav has been made the labour minister and Rajpal Singh Shekhawat the industry minister. Kiran Maheshwari has been appointed the Higher Education minister while Surendra Goyal has been given Public Health Engineering Department portfolio. Rajendra Rathore has been made the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister, Banshidhar Bajiyan made Health minister, Hemsingh Bahdana has been given the General Administration Department portfolio.

Jaipur: CM Vasundhara Raje expands Rajasthan Government's cabinet pic.twitter.com/hYaL43Vj4k ANI (@ANI_news) December 10, 2016

Among the inductees is MLA Kamsa Meghwal from Bhoplagarh, the Dalit face of the party.

Also read | BJP leads in Rajasthan civic polls but a setback for Raje

Those inducted today included seasoned state leaders and some who have been brought in as an image-makeover attempt by the government before the next Assembly elections.

Speculation had been rife for several months that Vasundhara Raje could go in for a cabinet expansion or reshuffle this year.

The move is being seen as Vasundhara Raje's attempt to strengthen the party and improve its reach to the masses before the next Assembly elections.WHO WERE DROPPED

Ministers Jeetmal Khant and Arjun Lal Garg were dropped from the cabinet.

They tendered their resignation which was forwarded to Governor Kalyan Singh.

The governor administered oath to the 8 ministers (6 new and 2 elevated) at a ceremony in Raj Bhawan in Jaipur.

The council of ministers, apart from the chief minister, now has 29 members with 17 cabinet and 12 state ministers.

Before the reshuffle, there were 13 cabinet and 12 state ministers.

5 PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES APPOINTED

After the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-inducted ministers was over, five Parliamentary Secretaries were also appointed by the chief minister.

Shatrughan Gautam (Kekri), Kailash Verma (Bagru), Narendra Nagar (Khanpur), Omprakash (Mahwa), and Bhima Bhai (Kushalgarh) were appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries.

Chief minister Raje administered them oath in her office.

"Team Rajasthan is working good and now this is an opportunity to work with the full team. In the last two years, the full team will work with dedication, which will benefit all," Raje told reporters at Raj Bhawan.

Newly-inducted Cabinet minister Jaswant Yadav said that he would fulfill all the responsibilities given to him.

"I am thankful to the chief minister and the party's leadership for giving me this chance. I will do my best and work to make the state progress and reach new heights and will discharge my duties to the fullest," Yadav said after taking oath.

The members of council of ministers and newly inducted ministers were asked to remain present in Jaipur for a meeting today.

The ministers and MLAs started visiting the official residence of the chief minister where they were informed about the development.

NEW INDUCTEES FELICITATED

After their meeting with the chief minister at noon, the six MLAs left her residence for the BJP's state headquarters where they were felicitated and garlanded by the party's state president Ashok Parnami and other leaders before the swearing-in ceremony.

This is the second cabinet reshuffle, since Vasundhara Raje was sworn-in as the chief minister on December 13, 2013.

The first reshuffle took place in October 2014.