Rajasthan: 15 Ministers Take Oath in CM Gehlot's Cabinet Reshuffle
Sachin Pilot said that the step taken by the party after discussions is sending a positive message across the state.
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Following the resignations of three ministers in Ashok Gehlot's Rajasthan government, the oath-taking ceremony for 15 new ministers took place on Sunday, 21 November. This is being touted as a move to keep tensions at bay among the senior leadership, by many.
Among these 15 will be 11 cabinet ministers and four ministers of state. The new cabinet will have 12 new ministers, including five from the Sachin Pilot camp — Hemaram Choudhary, Vishvendra Singh, Murari Lal Meena, Ramesh Meena and Brijendra Ola.
Rajendra Gudda and Zahida Khan were among those who were sworn in as ministers of state along with Meena and Ola.
Other including Congress MLAs Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya, Ramlal Jat, Mamta Bhupesh Bairwa, Mahesh Joshi, Govind Ram Meghwal, and Shakuntala Rawat were sworn in as Cabinet ministers by Governor Kalraj Mishra in Jaipur.
Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot said, "The contribution to the governance of those who could not be inducted in the Cabinet is no less than those who have been made ministers today."
Sending Positive Message Across Rajasthan: Sachin Pilot
Speaking about Sunday's swearing-in, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said that the step taken by the party and leadership after discussions is sending a positive message across the state.
"We had raised this issue time and again. I'm happy that the party, the high command and state government took cognisance of it," Pilot said, according to news agency ANI.
Pilot further said that four Dalit ministers being included in the new cabinet is a message that Congress and the state government wants representation for Dalits, the backward, and the poor.
"Our Dalit and tribal brothers and sisters have got proper representation. This is a very good thing," he said, according to India Today.
Pilot also stated that there were no factions within Congress and that the decisions regarding the Cabinet reshuffle had been taken together.
Regarding his future role in the party, Pilot said,"I had met party president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, we discussed a lot of issues. I carried out all responsibilities given to me by the party in last 20 years, with dedication. In the time to come, I will work wherever the party sends me."
Who Are the Ministers Taking Oath Today?
In a tweet on Saturday, Govind Singh Dotasra, Rajasthan Congress chief, shared the list of the 15 ministers who will be taking oath and congratulated three ministers who will be promoted. He said:
Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary, Medical and Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma and Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra, had offered their resignations to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, who accepted them on Saturday. The three of them offered their resignations in accordance with the party's 'Ek Pad Ek Vyakti' (One Person One Post) policy, according to Dotasra.
The Quint had reported that even before the resignations of the three ministers, several new faces were expected to be inducted into the Gehlot cabinet.
(With inputs from ANI and India Today.)
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