The BJP government formed with the support of Jyotiraditya and his loyalists is now complete after the cabinet expansion carried out after more than three months.
The Congress has waited for the cabinet expansion since the BJP returned to power in March. No sooner did the BJP expand the cabinet than the Congress began to make a dent in the BJP’s wall.
The BJP has 107 members in the House, the Congress 92, BSP two, SP one, and there are four independents. As none of the seven legislators of other parties has been inducted into the cabinet, it will be easy for the Congress to bring them back to its fold.
They were with the Congress several years ago, so they can be easily wooed.
As far as the BJP legislators go, Narayan Tripathi and Sharad Kol have once supported the Congress. During the Rajya Sabha elections, a BJP legislator voted for the Congress candidate. Another MLA Jugal Kishore Bagri’s vote was cancelled.
Likewise, the BJP’s counting agent somehow saved the Nagendra Singh Gudh’s vote from being declared invalid. Another BJP law-maker Sanjay Pathak who was with the Congress was not inducted into the ministry.
Apart from those legislators, the Congress has identified some MLAs who have entered the last phase of their career because of their age. A few of them will not fight elections, and others want to bring their children to politics.
Some of the leaders are so attached to the BJP ideology, that the Congress cannot woo them. There are, however, a few whose anger can bring them closer to the Congress.
Five BJP legislators were in touch with the Congress during its rule in the state. It was because of those legislators that the Congress leaders had claimed that some BJP legislators might join the party. The Congress may try to tie up with those law-makers again.
The Congress is making a strategy to identify ten angry legislators that they may be brought to the party before the by-elections or after that. Nevertheless, everything will depend on the situation.
BJP pacifying angry MLAs
The BJP is acquainted with the Congress’s strategy, so the ruling party is trying to pacify the angry legislators. Party’s state president VD Sharma reached the swearing-in ceremony with Sanjay Pathak. State party in charge Vinay Sahasrabuddhe also spoke to those legislators who could not be inducted into the cabinet. Keeping in mind the power of Rajendra Shukla, nobody from Rewa district was inducted into the cabinet.
The name of Ramkishore Kanwre was included in the list of ministers on the advice of Gourishanker Bisen. The BJP is trying to find out ways to calm down the anger of those legislators who can cotton up to the Congress. They will be taken in the party organisation. The exercise is on to include those MLAs in corporations, cooperative societies and in other posts.
