Keeping in mind the goals for Rajasthan state assembly elections 2019, CM Vasundhara Raje inducted new faces in Rajasthan cabinet. The latest cabinet reshuffle didn’t come as a surprise for many of us since it had already happened twice. As they say ‘Third time is a charm’, the CM tried played a gamble on castes, experience and performance this time. The new list appears to appease MLAs that have been awaiting promotions since a long time. Raje carefully balanced caste equations and experience quotient while selecting new representatives.
The newly formed Rajasthan cabinet contains 14 new faces and 8 old faces from 16 districts, with party’s main focus on Marwar region, which is famous for Congress stronghold.
Main Highlights of Rajasthan Cabinet Reshuffle
- 6 new ministers were included in the cabinet and 2 old ministers were promoted to Cabinet.
- 5 new parliamentary secretaries were appointed.
- 2 ministers were removed from cabinet due to poor performance.
For first time in the history of Rajasthan, a minister from ‘Yadav’ community that is Jaswant Yadav was appointed in the human resource department. An advocate of women and dalit rights, CM Raje appointed female Dalit minister Ms. Kamsa Meghwal for Tribal Regional Development. Hopefully, this will bring in women and dalit votes for the party in upcoming elections.
‘Efficient performance and Experience based appointment’ is the new mantra for Rajasthan BJP. Nevertheless, promising newcomers, brimming with energy like Kailash Verma and O.P. Hudla were given a chance to perform. Contrary to this, experienced leaders like Rajendra Rathod, who was handling healthcare department, was given the portfolio for Rural Development. Kalicharan Saraf is the newly appointed state health minister of Rajasthan.
Other newcomers on the list include:
State Ministers of Independent Charge:
- Srichand Kriplani (UDH),
- Basindhar Baajiya (Healthcare and medical, ESI, health studies and Alternative Medicine),
- Dhansingh Ravat (Panchayati Raj, rural development. Parliamentary affairs & election),
- Sushil Katara (Ground water).
Cabinet reshuffle was a smart move on Raje’s part. Through the newly formed cabinet, the CM had tried her best to represent all 36 communities, 33 districts and both the genders. With this, Rajasthan BJP has secured its chances in the upcoming state assembly elections.
