MP Assembly Elections: Shivraj Expands Cabinet 3 Months Before Polls

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday expanded his ministry by inducting three new ministers, hailing from the regions of Vindhya, Mahakoshal and Bundelkhand in the state.

The ministry expansion comes barely three months before the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, due in November this year.

The three new ministers are Rajendra Shukla, a three-time MLA from Rewa in Vindhya region, Gourishankar Bisen, a seven-time legislator from Balaghat under Mahakoshal region and Rahul Lodhi, a first-time MLA from Khargapur under Tikamgarh district under Bundelkhand region.

Mr Shukla and Mr Bisen were ministers in the previous Shivraj cabinet and are known to be Mr Chouhan’s staunch loyalists.

Mr Lodhi, nephew of former chief minister Uma Bharti, has been inducted in the Shivraj ministry to pacify her, sources said.

Firebrand saffron leader Ms Bharti has been sulking for the last several months seeking a key role in the state party for her.

She has of late started a state-wide campaign calling for prohibition in the state, landing the Shivraj government in an awkward situation.

Lodhis, who fall into the category of other backward class (OBC), constitute around eight percent of the state’s population and are in a position to influence the outcome of the assembly polls in 65 seats in the state.

Mr Shukla’s induction in the state cabinet is seen as an attempt by the BJP leadership to woo the Brahmin voters in Rewa and Satna districts falling under Vindhya region in the state.

Brahmins constitute 25 percent of the population in the two districts.

Mr Bisen, who had been accommodated in the post of chairman of state OBC commission after being denied ministerial berth earlier, was inducted in the ministry, to ‘send a message to the voters particularly the OBC people in Mahakoshal region by the party’, a BJP functionary said here.

Incidentally, Mr Bisen had caught the attention of the state leadership when he organised a huge religious conclave in his constituency recently which was addressed by the Bageshwar Dham seer Dhirendra Shastri.

While Mr Shukla and Mr Bisen have been sworn as cabinet ministers by governor Mangubhai Patel, Mr Lodhi has been inducted as minister of state.

With the induction of three new ministers, the strength of Shivraj ministry has gone up to 34.

The ministry expansion was done to maintain caste and regional balance, a senior BJP leader here said.

The ministry expansion has focused on competence and (regional) balance, state BJP president V D Sharma said.

Madhya Pradesh unit Congress president and former chief minister Kamal Nath has however taken a dig at the chief minister for expanding his ministry barely three months before the polls, saying that Mr Chouhan has started becoming generous towards his loyalists by way of inducting them in his ministry after sensing defeat in the ensuing assembly polls in the state.