More than two years after formation of the BJP-JJP government in Haryana, the state’s council of ministers is all set for its much-awaited expansion. The second expansion in the last two years will take place Tuesday and an oath taking ceremony is scheduled at Haryana Raj Bhavan.
“The Cabinet expansion will take place at a function to be held at Haryana Raj Bhavan at 4 pm on December 28,” an official statement said. It was expected that two ministers will be inducted in the Cabinet – one each from JJP and BJP.
Although the government did not declare any names, but names doing the rounds included that of Jannayak Janta Party’s Devender Singh Babli, MLA from Tohana. From the BJP, names of Gian Chand Gupta who is currently Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and Hisar MLA Dr Kamal Gupta are among the top most contenders to be inducted in the Cabinet led by CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
In the 90-member House, BJP and JJP are coalition partners. After the 2019 Assembly polls, BJP failed to get the majority mark of 46 members in the House and had to enter into a post-poll alliance with JJP. More than two weeks after taking oath as CM Manohar Lal Khattar had first expanded his council of ministers in November that year and 10 members were inducted in the Cabinet.
Dushyant Chautala had taken oath before that expansion. However, after the Cabinet was expanded, another JJP MLA Anoop Dhanak was inducted as Minister of State.
In the current strength of 12 ministers in the state Cabinet, there are six ministers of Cabinet rank and four as Ministers of State in Haryana.
