Rajasthan: With Cabinet reshuffle on the cards, CM Gehlots chairs high-level meeting
Highlights
- CM Gehlot held a meeting with Governor Kalraj Mishra in connection with the Cabinet reshuffle.
- Earlier, 3 ministers including state Cong chief Govind Singh Dotasra offered to resign.
- New ministers are expected to take oath on Sunday, said sources.
As many as 15 new ministers will take oath in the Rajasthan cabinet as part of the reshuffle on Sunday. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had earlier met Governor Kalraj Mishra to hand in the resignations of three ministers, including state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra.
Ahead of the cabinet reshuffle, all ministers in Rajasthan had earlier resigned during a meeting at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's residence. The meeting started around 7 pm. Later at night, the chief minister went to Raj Bhawan and held a meeting with Governor Kalraj Mishra in connection with the Cabinet reshuffle.
"All ministers resigned in the meeting," Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, who held the charge of the transport minister, told reporters here. "We have been asked to go to the PCC office at 2 pm on Sunday where further instructions will be given by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken and PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra," Khachariyawas said. A total of 15 Rajasthan leaders, including 11 cabinet ministers, to take oath as part of the state cabinet reshuffle.
Khachariyawas said it is for the chief minister and the party high command to decide on reshuffling and it will be known tomorrow what instructions they give. "We will be reaching the PCC office tomorrow at 2 pm. We will be following further instructions given to us there," he said.
State Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, who along with two other ministers had offered to resign in a letter to party's national president Sonia Gandhi, had moved a proposal at the beginning of the meeting following which all ministers resigned.
Later at night, the chief minister went to Raj Bhawan and held a meeting with Governor Kalraj Mishra in connection with the Cabinet reshuffle. The strength of the Ashok Gehlot cabinet was 21 before the ministers resigned. Rajasthan, where the number of MLAs is 200, can have a maximum of 30 ministers, including the chief minister.
The clamour for Cabinet reshuffle had been growing for the past several months with a demand to accommodate supporters of CM Gehlot's former deputy Sachin Pilot, who had revolted against the chief minister last year.
Apart from the ruling party MLAs, independents who support the government and those who defected from the BSP to the Congress also have expectations from the reshuffle.
