Uttarakhand Cabinet expanded; five new ministers sworn in
The Uttarakhand Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was expanded on Friday with the induction of five new ministers. The swearing-in ceremony was held at Lok Bhavan, where Governor Gurmit Singh administered the oath of office.
The new ministers include BJP MLAs Khajan Das from Rajpur Road Assembly constituency, Madan Kaushik from Haridwar, Pradeep Batra from Roorkee, Bharat Chaudhary from Rudraprayag, and Ram Singh Kaira from Bhimtal.
The cabinet expansion comes after months of speculation, as five ministerial posts had remained vacant in the state government. With this move, the Dhami government has moved closer to reaching the constitutionally permitted strength of 12 ministers in the state cabinet.
When Bharatiya Janata Party formed its government in Uttarakhand for the second consecutive term in 2022, Dhami had taken oath along with eight ministers. However, the cabinet’s strength reduced over time due to unforeseen developments. It came down to eight following the demise of Social Welfare and Transport Minister Chandan Ramdas in April 2023. Later, the number dropped to seven after the resignation of Prem Chand Agarwal, who held the Finance and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios, last year.
Party leaders had earlier indicated that consultations were underway with the central leadership regarding the expansion. Uttarakhand BJP media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan had stated that the process was part of routine governance and required coordination with the party’s top leadership.
He had also emphasised that the Dhami government remains committed to development, public welfare, and good governance. According to him, deliberations with the party’s central leadership had paved the way for filling the vacant posts.
(IANS)
