The one-year-old Himachal Pradesh Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was expanded on Tuesday with the induction of Rajesh Dharmani and Yadvinder Goma as cabinet ministers.
Sukhu said efforts have been made to balance the caste and region and the lone Congress MLA from Mandi district, Chandershekher, would be accommodated soon.
One ministerial berth in the cabinet is still vacant and would be filled soon, the chief minister told reporters in Shimla. He also indicated reshuffle in portfolios of ministers.
The much awaited expansion of the state cabinet took place a day after the Congress government completed its one year on Monday. With this, the cabinet's strength has now increased to 11.
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla administered the oath of office to the newly inducted ministers at a ceremony at the Raj Bhawan in Shimla in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhu and other cabinet ministers.
The Governor, who was in Delhi, reached Shimla on Tuesday for the oath ceremony.
Dharmani (51) is a former chief parliamentary secretary and a three-time MLA from Ghumarwin, while Goma (37) is a two-time legislator from Jaisinghpur. Both the leaders hold engineering and MBA degrees.
After the swearing-in of Chief Minister Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on December 11 last year, the cabinet was expanded on January 8 with the induction of seven cabinet ministers.
With the inclusion of Dharmani, Bilaspur district has got representation in the government while through Goma, the under-represented Kangra district with 10 Congress MLAs has got one more minister.
The total strength of the Himachal cabinet is 12 and one berth is still vacant, while the election of the deputy speaker of the state assembly is pending.
Sukhu had also appointed six chief parliamentary secretaries, ahead of first expansion in January.
After the latest expansion, the cabinet consists of five ministers from the Rajput community, including the chief minister, two from Brahmin including deputy CM, two from scheduled castes, and one each from other backward classes and schedule tribe.
While, the expansion has increased the representation of Brahmin and Schedule Caste communities, it seems the Congress government has failed to give adequate representation to various regions in the state.
For instance, Shimla district with seven Congress MLAs still has lion's share in the cabinet -- three berths -- while Kangra district with 10 party MLAs has only two cabinet ministers.
The Congress won 40 out of 68 assembly seats including 10 seats in Kangra, seven in Shimla, four each in Una, Solan, and Hamirpur, three in Sirmaur, two each in Chamba and Kullu, and one each in Mandi, Bilaspur, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts.
Kangra, the biggest district of the state with 15 assembly constituencies, is instrumental in formation of government in the hill state and discrimination with Kangra could create problems for the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Dharmani has earlier held several posts including secretary of HP Congress Committee, vice president of HP Youth Congress, AICC secretary and secretary and convener of Technical Cell NSUI. He is presently nominated as Chairman, Human Development Committee and member of Public Accounts and e-Governance-cum-General Purposes Committees.
Goma was general secretary, State Rajeev Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan from 2011-2014 and president, HP Congress SC Cell from 2019-2021. He was also nominated as chairman, Subordinate Legislation Committee, and member, Welfare and Rules Committees.
The Congress won 40 out of 68 assembly seats in the 2022 polls.
District wise, three ministers are from Shimla, followed by two from Kangra and one each from Hamirpur, Solan, Sirmaur, Una, Bilapsur and Kinnaur while Mandi, Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts are unrepresented in the cabinet.
Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Pathania is from Bhatiyyat in Chamba district.
After the cabinet expansion on Tuesday, Sukhu said that caste and region has been balanced in the cabinet expansion and Mandi parliamentary constituency would also get its due representation.
From Mandi parliamentary constituency, tribal leader Jagat Singh Negi from Kinnaur (ST) seat is the lone minister in the state cabinet.
The expansion would further strengthen the government or make the left out aspirants more vocal, only time will tell, said a veteran Congress leader.
Some Congress leaders have also been vocal against the government. Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh, wife of former CM Virbhadra Singh, has been raking the issue of lack of coordination between the organisation and the government.
Recently, she had expressed her displeasure for not being consulted on one-year celebration of the state government and asserted that the dedicated party workers, who were instrumental in the victory of the party in the assembly polls, should be rewarded.
In September, Congress MLA Rajinder Rana had also expressed concern over delay in recruitments in government jobs, and drawn the attention of chief minister over brewing discontent among the unemployed youth after Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission was scrapped.
