Investor meet over, all eyes on Cabinet expansion now

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 12

With the Global Investors’ Meet over, all eyes are on the Cabinet expansion.

Two berths are lying vacant as Anil Sharma had quit the Cabinet after his son contested the Lok Sabha poll from the Mandi constituency on Congress ticket.

The other post fell vacant after Kishan Kapoor was elected to the Lok Sabha from Dharamsala. The maximum number of ministers can be 12, including the Chief Minister. There are 10 ministers now.

The expansion was delayed on the pretext of the Assembly byelections. After retaining both seats, it was deferred due to Global Investors’ Meet. But now there is no plausible reason to keep the aspirants waiting. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who has emerged stronger after winning the byelections, seems to be in no hurry and has not discussed the matter with the high command.

However, the aspirants, who were adjusted in non-ministerial posts with Cabinet rank, are awaiting for the expansion.

Two-time minister and senior leader from the biggest Kangra district Ramesh Dhawala, who was appointed the Deputy Chairman of the state Planning Board, and another senior leader and former minister Narender Bragta, who is the Chief Whip, have not reconciled and are the strong contenders for the posts.

Since Kishan Kapoor is also from Kangra district, Dhawala, who is considered close to veteran BJP leader and former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar, is waiting for his induction. However, he is at daggers drawn with powerful state orgnisational secretary Pawan Rana and his ride to the Cabinet may not be smooth. Bragta could not get berth in the Cabinet as the BJP had won only three of the eight seats in Shimla district and Suresh Bharadwaj, MLA from Shimla, was inducted in the first go and his fate was sealed. However, his claim gets stronger after Reena Kashyap, BJP MLA, got a huge lead from the area allotted to him in the Pachhad byelection.

Besides the two leaders, Rakesh Pathania, BJP MLA from Nurpur, considered close to BJP working president JP Nadda, is pressing his claim and Vikram Singh Jaryal from Bhattiyat and Sukh Ram Chowdhary from Paonta Sahib, a former Chief Parliamentary Secretary, are also hoping to get the berth. Sources in the party said the expansion could be further delayed as organisational elections were in process and the new state BJP president would be elected by mid-December.

Delayed due to bypoll, D’sala meet

• Anil Sharma quit the Cabinet after his son contested the Lok Sabha poll from the Mandi constituency on Congress ticket.
• The other post fell vacant after Kishan Kapoor was elected to the Lok Sabha from Dharamsala.
• The maximum number of ministers can be 12, including the Chief Minister, but there are 10 ministers.
• The expansion was delayed on the pretext of the Assembly byelections. After the byelections, it was deferred due to the investors’ meet.