A meeting of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with Governor Lalji Tandon at the governor house on Friday has fanned speculations that the much discussed cabinet expansion in the state is likely soon, perhaps early next week.
Though the official line regarding the meeting between the governor and the CM was that the former was apprised about the COVID-19 situation and its management in the state, political circles were agog with speculations that discussion on cabinet expansion was on agenda during the meeting.
Though the lockdown across the country has been extended till May 17 and Bhopal is among the red zone districts, the BJP is likely to go ahead with the expansion given the internal pressure, sources said.
There is likelihood that 20-22 ministers might be included in the cabinet during the upcoming expansion, sources added. The expansion is much awaited as several senior leaders of the BJP and core Scindia loyalists who were earlier ministers in the Kamal Nath cabinet had been left out when a truncated cabinet took oath in the state on April 21.
Resentment has been boiling among leaders and they are getting impatient about the political situation, sources said. Shivraj Singh Chouhan had taken oath as the chief minister as the BJP formed government in the state on March 23 after toppling the Kamal Nath government with help of 22 Jyotiraditya Scindia supporter MLAs of the Congress, who resigned from their membership in a dramatic development.
Chouhan had continued alone in the government for almost a month and under severe criticism and pressure from the opposition Congress, five ministers were inducted on April 21. But this reportedly caused the situation to become more uncomfortable within the ruling party, forcing it to move ahead with the cabinet expansion. Chouhan had said after the April 21 oath taking ceremony that the expansion will be done with wider consultations after the lockdown was over. However, the lockdown which was scheduled to be lifted on May 3 was extended to May 17.
Likely faces in the cabinet
Though the final decision on names to be included in the cabinet will be taken by the BJP central leadership, there are some leaders whose inclusion is considered a foregone conclusion. Chouhan is said to have discussed the possibilities with organisation leaders.
Among the probables from original BJP cadre are former leader of opposition Gopal Bhargava, ex-home minister Bhupendra Singh, ex-ministers Rampal Singh, Sanjay Pathak, Vijay Shah, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Ajay Vishnoi, Arvind Bhadoria, Paras Jain, Jagdish Devda, Surendra Patwa and long-term MLAs like Omprakash Saklecha, Ramesh Mendola, Gopilal Jatav, Yashpal Singh Sisodia and others.
Two of Scindia loyalists have already been included in the cabinet and others who are likely to get chances are ex-ministers Imarti Devi, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pradyumna Singh Tomar, Prabhuram Choudhary and senior leaders like Bisahulal Singh, Aidal Singh Kansana, Hardeep Singh Dang and Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon, sources said.
