Himachal Diary: Looking for plum portfolios

With barely two of the seven newly sworn in ministers having occupied Cabinet berths earlier, the new Congress government will have a majority of first-timers. Even Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu has never remained a minister. He has made a record of sorts by being directly elevated as CM. People were eagerly awaiting the allocation of portfolios as a majority of the Cabinet minister has no experience of governance. After having spent a month in selecting the Cabinet, it seems deciding portfolios would be equally tricky as several first-time ministers were asking for plum portfolios like industry, excise, Public Works Department, power, etc. Obtaining choicest portfolios has become the next challenge for them after securing Cabinet berths.

CM’s ‘Nayak’ image

The people, who approved of Sukhvinder Sukhu’s tough decisions like shutting down around 900 institutions opened and upgraded by the previous government in its last six months and the suspension of the working of Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission likened him to the on-screen Chief Minister played by Anil Kapoor in Bollywood movie ‘Nayak’. It would be interesting to know whether the delay and uncertainty over the Cabinet formation have hit Sukhu’s ‘Nayak’ image among his supports.

(Contributed by Ambika Sharma and Subhash Rajta)