After Month-Long Wait, Himachal Cabinet Formation Today
After endless speculations and a long wait of almost a month, Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will finally be inducting his cabinet on Sunday.
Shillai legislator Harshwardhan Chauhan, Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi, former chief parliamentary secretary and Jubbal Kotkhai MLA Rohit Thakur, Ghumarwin MLA Rajesh Dharmani, Solan MLA Dhani Ram Shandil, Kullu MLA Sunder Singh Thakur, Shimla rural legislator Vikramaditya Singh, Jawali legislator Chandra Kumar are expected to be inducted in the cabinet.
Confirming that the oath-taking ceremony will take place on Sunday morning, CM Sukhu said the list has already been sent to Raj Bhawan.
Sukhu, who had flown out to New Delhi in the midst of the winter session, has been in deliberating with senior party leaders for the last three days. The consultations are said to have taken place with All India Congress Committee president Mallik Arjun Kharge, party charge of Himachal affairs Rajiv Shukla, general secretary of the organisation KC Venugopal and AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik.
The delay in cabinet formation had turned out to be a major embarrassment for the ruling Congress, with criticism flying thick and fast from outside as well as within the party.
With infighting rampant, CM Sukhu was forced to walk the tightrope as there are only 10 vacancies to be filled up, against a cabinet strength of 12, which includes posts of the CM and deputy CM. The Congress has a total of 40 legislators in the 68-member House.
Making the CM’s task tougher was the fact that there were more than 20 aspirants lobbying for the cabinet positions, with some citing seniority and other playing the caste and region cards.
Sukhu who had the backing of more than 24 MLAs when he was chosen as the CM wants to have a larger share in the cabinet for his loyalists. Meanwhile, state party chief Pratibha Singh, who had also staked claim to the leadership, also wants fair representation in the government.
Sukhu, who was sworn in as CM along with journalist-turned politician Mukesh Agnihotri as deputy CM on December 11 at the historic Ridge, has already appointed his loyalists in the government with cabinet rank.
Sunil Bittu, who was a member of the Himachal Pradesh Higher Education Regulatory commission during the Virbhadra Singh regime, was first to be appointed his political advisor with cabinet rank, while Naresh Chauhan was appointed media advisor with cabinet rank. Gokul Butail has got the charge as information technology adviser with cabinet rank and Kuldeep Singh Banshtu, a retired army personnel, was appointed officer on special duty at Delhi office. Retired bureaucrat Gopal Sharma is the officer on special duty to the CM in Shimla. The initial appointments with cabinet rank led to a lot of heartburn among the elected legislators, particularly those vying for cabinet berths.
Senior Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Pathania has been elected the speaker.