Raipur: Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday indicated that he would soon expand his ministry.
Mr Sai’s statement comes amid mounting speculations in the ruling BJP circles that he may go for expansion of his ministry in the first week of July.
The chief minister who returned here on Saturday from his one-day-visit to Delhi told the waiting media persons at the Raipur airport that he would make an announcement of expansion of his ministry before it takes place.
“The expansion of the ministry will be done soon. The ministry will be expanded at the right time. The announcement on expansion of the ministry will be made in advance”, he said.
Mr Sai’s recent meeting with Chhattisgarh governor Biswabhusan Harichandan at Raj Bhavan here had sparked rumours about imminent expansion of his ministry.
The speculations have mounted further after state education minister Brij Mohan Agrawal resigned from the Assembly following his election to the Lok Sabha.
“There was a vacant cabinet berth in the state ministry earlier. Another cabinet berth fell vacant when Mr Agrawal was elected to the LS. A cabinet expansion is on cards to fill at least these two vacant cabinet berths”, state BJP general secretary Sachidanand Upasana has earlier said.
A senior BJP functionary indicated that Mr Sai may go for expansion of his ministry in the first week of July.
Sources said that the prospective ministers in the expanded cabinet have been finalised during Mr Sai’s Friday’s visit to Delhi.
Mr Sai had met senior BJP leaders such as B L Santoshi, Shiv Prakash and Ajey Jamval during his visit to Delhi.
Sources said that the prospective ministers’ names were reportedly discussed and finalised in the meeting.
