Dehradun
Uttarakhand’s new Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Friday constituted his Cabinet inducting 11 ministers who were sworn in by the state governor.
Barring newly-appointed state BJP president Madan Kaushik, all other state ministers in former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat’s council have been made ministers in the new govt.
The ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Baby Rani Maurya in a simple function at the Raj Bhavan.
The swearing-in ceremony, which was held by a delay of around 25 minutes, was attended by Chief Minister Rawat, former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, Vijay Bahuguna along with several MLAs and other prominent people.
CM Rawat had been sworn in all alone on March 10.
Apart from the old ministers in the Trivendra Singh Rawat government, 4 new faces were inducted into the Tirath Rawat’s council of ministers. Of the 11 newly-inducted ministers, 8 have been made Cabinet ministers and 3 state ministers with independent charges.
The new faces in the Tirath Rawat’s council of the ministers are MLAs Banshidhar Bhagat, Bishan Singh Chufal, Ganesh Joshi and Swami Yatiswaranand, respectively from Kaladhungi, Didihat, Mussoorie and Haridwar (Rural) assembly segments.
Of the 4, Bhagat, Chufal and Joshi have been made Cabinet ministers while Yatiswaranand has been made a state minister.
Uttarakhand with a 70-member assembly can have a total of 12 ministers including the CM and with the induction of 11 ministers in the government on Friday, Tirath Rawat’s council of ministers has attained its full strength. Chaubattakhal MLA Satpal Maharaj who had won the seat in 2017 poll has been given the second position in the council.
Dhansingh Rawat and Rekha Arya have been made state ministers.
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday appointed former cabinet minister Madan Kaushik (55) the new president of the state unit, replacing Banshidhar Bhagat (60). Kaushik has been a 4-time MLA of Haridwar. His appointment comes on the recommendation of new CM Tirath Singh Rawat, party sources said. Rawat picked him up for close coordination in view of the state assembly elections due only a year away. —Our Bureau
