As Haryana government gears up for its first Cabinet expansion in just over two years, caste arithmetic and placating BJP’s ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) may play a key role.
Haryana currently has 12 ministers, including chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and deputy CM Dushyant Chautala. The state cabinet, however, can accommodate two more members, since the upper limit is 14.
According to the present cabinet composition, the CM and eight ministers are from the BJP, two from the JJP, and one is Independent. It is expected that one minister each will be added from the BJP and the JJP.
A report in ThePrint, however, quoted a senior BJP leader from Haryana as saying that there might be more changes. “There has been a performance appraisal… a few present ministers can also be changed,” the leader said, speculating that the party might make some decisions based on regional representation and caste.
The BJP leader further said that there is currently no minister from the Sonepat and Rohtak regions. “There is also no minister from the Bania community. The inductions might address these factors,” he added.
The report stated that a Bania minister could be inducted with an eye on the 2024 assembly polls. The names doing the rounds are Gian Chand Gupta, who is currently speaker of the state assembly, Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta, and Palwal MLA Deepak Singla, ThePrint quoted a BJP source.
Another name that is on the probables’ list is Devender Singh Babli, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) MLA from Tohana. The names of probables from the BJP camp doing the round include Gian Chand Gupta, who is currently Speaker of the Haryana Assembly and MLA from Panchkula, and Dr Kamal Gupta, MLA from Hisar.
An official statement said that the cabinet expansion will take place at a function to be held at Haryana Raj Bhavan at 4 pm on December 28.
The BJP and JJP, which are coalition partners, enjoy a majority in the 90-member Assembly. In 2019, more than two weeks after taking oath as the Haryana chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar had first expanded his council of ministers in November that year by inducting 10 members.
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