Eye on 2019, Congress picks seasoned hands; Team Gehlot sworn in

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot expanded his cabinet with the swearing in of 23 ministers - 13 cabinet and 10 state ministers. His Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh counterparts, Kamal Nath and Bhupesh Baghel, are expected to follow suit a day later on December 25.

The three chief ministers, who were sworn in on December 17 after the Congress’s win in three out of the five states that went to the polls in November and December, are expected to prefer experience over youth. The Congress has decided against making first-time legislators ministers, according to a leader aware of the developments. (Live updates)

In Rajasthan, Gehlot had forwarded a list of 40 contenders for ministerial berths to Congress president Rahul Gandhi for the cabinet expansion. Gehlot and his deputy, Sachin Pilot, returned to Jaipur on Sunday after Gandhi approved the list of the inductees.

The strength of the council of ministers in Rajasthan cannot exceed 30 or 15% of the total number of seats in the 200-member state assembly. The Congress is unlikely to fill all the ministerial vacancies.

Pilot, who was sworn in along with Gehlot, is learnt to have reiterated his demand for 50% berths for his loyalists during the discussions for the cabinet expansion. He insisted this will ensure a “respectable power-sharing” mechanism between two rival Congress camps – his and Gehlot’s – in Rajasthan.

“It is not [going to be] a full-fledged cabinet [expansion]. More ministers may be inducted later,” a Congress leader said. The leader said Gehlot’s cabinet is expected to have 20-25 ministers mostly experienced leaders.

The council of ministers is likely to have three women: Mamta Bhupesh, Shakuntala Rawat and Zahida Khan. Former union minister CP Joshi, Lal Chand Kataria, B D Kalla, Shanti Dhariwal and Jitendra Singh Shekhawat are also expected to be inducted into Gehlot’s ministry.

In Chhattisgarh, chief minister Bhupesh Bhagel would include 10 remaining ministers in his cabinet. The state, which has a 90-member assembly, can have 13 ministers including the chief minister. T S Singhdeo and Tamradhwaj Sahu were sworn in last Monday along with Bhagel.

The Congress, which had won only one Lok Sabha seat in 2014, has decided to have a representative each from Chhattisgarh’s all 11 Parliamentary constituencies in Baghel’s Cabinet. “We have tried to give representation to leaders from all the communities… [and] to cover all 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Cabinet formation keeping in mind the next year’s general election,” said a Chhattisgarh Congress leader.

Nath is also expected to induct about 25-30 ministers on Tuesday. He was sworn-in alone last Monday.

Some of the young leaders, who may not get Cabinet berths, are expected to be accommodated in the party organisation. An organisational reshuffle will soon take place in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as state unit chiefs, Nath and Baghel, have taken over as chief ministers. Gehlot was the Congress’s national general secretary in-charge of organisation and training before taking over as the chief minister for the third time.

(With inputs from reporters in Jaipur and Raipur)