The cabinet of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was expanded on Friday with five ministers taking oath, filling all vacant positions ahead of Assembly elections scheduled early next year.
Those inducted include former state BJP president Madan Kaushik (Haridwar), and former minister Khajan Das (Dehradun), along with three first-time ministers, Ram Singh Kaida (Nainital), Bharat Chaudhary (Rudraprayag) and Pradeep Batra (Roorkee). The expansion is seen as a key move to strengthen the government before the polls.
The oath of office was administered by Governor Gurmit Singh at Lok Bhavan at 10 am.
When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in Uttarakhand for a second consecutive term in 2022, nine ministers, including Chief Minister Dhami, took oath. As per constitutional provisions, the state cabinet can have a maximum of 12 members.
The strength of the cabinet came down to eight after the death of Social Welfare and Transport Minister Chandan Ramdas in April 2023. It further dropped to seven last year following the resignation of Prem Chand Agarwal, who handled Parliamentary Affairs and Finance, amid a controversy.
Over the past four years of the government’s tenure, the possibility of cabinet expansion was discussed at least six times, but the process did not materialise.
Source: News18