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Sirmaur gets Congress minister after 1997

Congress supporters gather outside the Raj Bhawan during the oath-taking ceremony of ministers in Shimla on Sunday. Tribune Photo: Lalit Kumar

Tribune News Service

Ambika Sharma

Solan, January 8

The twin districts of Solan and Sirmaur have been granted a Cabinet berth each with the latter bagging two posts of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPSs) as well.

With three Cabinet ministers being made from Shimla district, the Shimla Lok Sabha seat comprising Solan, Sirmaur and Shimla districts has gained the lion’s share of five Cabinet ministers.

Sirmaur district bagged a ministerial berth after 1997 with the six-term Shillai MLA Harshwardhan Chauhan being sworn in as a Cabinet minister. His father Guman Singh had also remained a Cabinet minister.

The Congress has bagged three seats of Shillai, Renuka Ji and Nahan in Sirmaur in the Assembly elections. Being the senior-most MLA in Shimla parliamentary seat, Chauhan’s elevation as a Cabinet minister was on expected lines. He is also considered close to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and is likely to get a key portfolio.

Earlier, Congress MLA GR Musafir had been elevated as a Cabinet minister in 1993.

In Solan district, Dhani Ram Shandil managed to prevail upon the party high command to elevate him as a minister again. Being an octogenarian and the eldest member of the Cabinet, efforts were made to elevate him as a Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha. He, however, resented this move and met the senior Congress leaders in Delhi to secure a Cabinet berth. Being an ex-serviceman and a three-time MLA, his claim could not be ignored.

Congress has bagged four of the five seats in the district and one Cabinet berth was likely to be granted.

Two-time MLAs Sanjay Awasthy from Arki and Ramkumar Chawdhary from Doon have been elevated as Chief Parliamentary Secretaries. Both are considered staunch loyalists of the CM and have been awarded for their loyalty.

Though efforts were made by Chawdhary to secure a Cabinet berth Shandil’s seniority could not be ignored. Shandil had remained the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister during Congress’ earlier tenure of 2012.

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