Berth to fill, BJPkeeps Independents guessing

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14

In a smart move, the BJP has kept one of the two ministerial slots from its quota vacant to keep the hopes alive of its legislators and certain Independents, who missed the Cabinet bus today.

By keeping a ministerial slot vacant, the BJP seems to have sent a clear signal to party legislators that one of them could be accommodated in the future Cabinet reshuffle.

Equally, the BJP has also attempted to pacify the five Independent MLAs, who were apparently miffed at the elevation of Independent MLA from Rania MLA Ranjit Chautala as Cabinet minister in the wake of his “Congress background”.

Five Independent MLAs who were earlier in the BJP — Balraj Kundu (Meham), Randhir Golan (Pundri), Sombir Sangwan (Dadri), Nayanpal Rawat (Prithla) and Dharampal Gondar (Nilokheri) — have virtually made a pressure group to get “adequate representation” in the Haryana Government.

Sources, however, said that since a number of posts of chairmen of various boards and corporations were vacant, some of the Independent MLAs as well as ruling party legislators would be accommodated on them.