Chances of cabinet formation in MP look bright after the end of lockdown across the country. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is believed to have prepared his choice of ministers for the formation of cabinet after the end of lockdown. The lockdown in state may continue with certain conditions even after April 14.
According to sources in the BJP, cabinet may be formed by April 20. Before that, Chouhan may visit Delhi to get central leadership’s nod on the names of certain leaders for ministerial berths. Chouhan took oath as chief minister on March 23.
The central leadership has to decide whether those who have resigned from the Congress should be made ministers or not right now. There are possibilities that ten former Congress legislators will be made ministers. It has to be decided whether they will be made ministers now or after the country is rid of the coronavirus.
Those who may get ministerial berths are former Congress ministers Tulsiram Silawat, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Imarti Devi, Govind Singh Rajput, Prabhuram Choudhary and Pradyumnya Singh Tomar.
Besides them, former Congress legislators Bisahulal Singh, Aindal Singh Kansana, Hardeep Singh Dang and Rajyawardhan Singh Dattigaon may get ministerial berths. Among the BJP leaders, the names doing the rounds for ministerial berths are those of Gopal Bhargava, Narottam Mishra, Bhupendra Singh, Rajendra Shukla, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Vishwash Sarang, Sanjay Pathak, Rampal Singh, Ajay Vishnoi, Arvind Bhadoria, Jalim Singh Patel, Ngendra Singh, Gauri Shanker Bisen and Vijay Shah. There are a few other legislators who can be included in the cabinet.
Some of the BJP leaders who want to become ministers have begun to pressurise Chouhan for cabinet formation. There are allegations against Chouhan that he is running a government without ministers.
The Congress, too, accused Chouhan of running the government alone even at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the world. Congress Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha has shot off a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind that there is no cabinet in this extraordinary situation. He even demanded President’s rule in the state.
Nevertheless, Chouhan alone will not be able to take a decision on forming the cabinet this time. Besides Chouhan, Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar and incharge of the party in the state Vinay Shahasrabuddhe will play an important role in cabinet formation.
