Ashok Gehlot cabinet rejig: Few Ministers seek party work, corrupt ones worried lot

The Congress high command has decided to work on the cabinet and organisation expansion at the earliest in Rajasthan so that the party can start preparing for the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Jaipur:Rajasthan is gearing up to witness Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's cabinet expansion and a possible cabinet reshuffle. According to sources, the Cabinet expansion is expected between the end of July and the starting of August. Sources also claimed that this time ministers will be removed from the cabinet based on their performance.

All eyes are on the massive transformation in the Cabinet where many MLAs of Sachin Pilot camp are likely to get a berth. Meanwhile, Congress is planning to implement the Kamaraj formula in Rajasthan where strong ministers given the responsibility of organization in the Congress party.

Read:|No contradiction among Congress leaders in Rajasthan on cabinet reshuffle: Maken

Here is a list of possible ministers who might be dropped from the cabinet and on what basis.

Congress may use these ministers in the organisation:

Govind Singh Dotasra: Rajasthan Congress president and Minister of State for Education Govind Singh Dotasra is likely to remain safe in the cabinet and he is also president of Congress unit, overlooking party's 'one person one post' policy. Dotasra has asked the Congress high command to relieve him from the responsibility of ministerial post and entrust him with party work.

Harish Chaudhary:Rajasthan Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary has also expressed his desire to work in the organisation instead of being a part of the government. Sources said that the Congress high command wishes to hand over the work of the organisation to Chaudhary since he is capable of handing Congress party activities in any other state. Considering his encounter with the Barmer MLA Kamlesh Prajapat, he can be relieved from the responsibility of the ministerial post.

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas: Sources said that the Congress wants to use Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas more in the organisation as he acts like a protecting shield for the party and also nicely targets the Centre through protests and demonstrations. He is likely to get the post of Congress national spokesperson or the working president of Rajasthan Congress.

Raghu Sharma:Rajasthan's Health minister Raghu Sharma is praised for his good work during the Covid crisis. He is likely to become Congress' trump card in strengthening the organisation ahead of the elections. Congress might give him the responsibility of any electoral state by providing him with a post in the AICC or he may get the role of Congress working president in Rajasthan.

Mamta Bhupesh:Mamta Bhupesh is the only woman minister in Gehlot Cabinet and she specialises in handling the Mahila Congress organisation works. Among the women MLAs of Rajasthan, Mamta Bhupesh is considered to be one of the strongest leaders and she might be awarded some big responsibility in the organisation. However, this will happen only if the party gets two to three more women MLAs who can be made ministers because three seats are reserved for women ministers out of 30.

Read:|Congress high command to take final call on cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan

The ministers having controversial history:

Pramod Jain Bhaya: Pramod Jain Bhaya is the Cabinet Minister of Mines in the Rajasthan government which has been plagued with the charges of illegal mining and corruption. Meanwhile, Congress MLA Bharat Singh is continuously targetting Bhaya by accusing him of corruption by writing letters to the Chief Minister

Sukhram Vishnoi:Rajasthan's Forest Minister Sukhram Vishnoi can be removed from the Gehlot Cabinet since his name is muddled in controversies due to his son. Vishnoi's son sat on a dharna against the state government while his father was still a minister. His son is also accused of kidnapping a young man. The only advantage Vishnoi has is that he is the only Congress MLA in his constituency and the only one who represents the Vishnoi society. This might help him save his job.

These ministers can be removed:

Parsadi Lal Meena:Minister of Industry Development and State Enterprises Parsadi Lal Meena can be removed from the Gehlot Cabinet due to his poor performance in the government.

Udai Lal Anjana: Minister of Co-operation in the Rajasthan government Udai Lal Anjana is also on the target list of poor performers.

Bhajan Lal Jatav:Bhajan Lal Jatav can be removed from the Gehlot government for being a non-performer.

Arjun Bamaniya:Arjun Bamaniya can also be removed based on his poor performance. Apart from this, he is not a strong contender in the TSP area as compared to Mahendrajit Singh Malviya who is gaining popularity in the tribal areas.

Bhanwar Singh Bhati: The image of Higher Education Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati is also untainted since there is no complaint against his work. But his minister's job is at stake, following the political turmoil in Rajasthan. On the other hand, if Rajendra Gudha, who joined Congress from BSP, is included in the Gehlot cabinet then Bhati can be replaced since he is Gudha's son-in-law. Under such circumstances, only one person from a family gets a ministerial post.

Read:|Rajasthan to upgrade skills of tribals, protect their lands