The Newz Radar
SHIMLA: The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government in Himachal Pradesh is all set for a cabinet expansion at 4.45 pm in Shimla on Tuesday (December 12, 2023).
Rajesh Dharmani, a prominent Congress leader hailing from Bilaspur, the home district of BJP national president JP Nadda, and Yadvinder Goma, who represents Jaisinghpur Assembly seat in politically significant Kangra, are the two probable ministers who would be inducted.
If Chief Minister Sukhu goes with Dharmani and Goma—The Newz Radar was the first to report it—the Himachal Congress would be looking to balance caste equations in his cabinet ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Dharmani would be the second member of the Brahmin community to join the Cabinet. So will be Goma, who represents the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, an MLA from Haroli constituency in Una district, too belongs to the Brahmin community. Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil represented the Solan SC seat.
After Dharmani and Goma, the Himachal Pradesh cabinet will have two members each from the Brahmin and Scheduled Caste community. Four other cabinet members — Chief Minister Sukhu, PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh, Education Minister Rohit Thakur and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh — are Rajputs. Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi belongs to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community and represents Kinnaur seat.
After the two new inductions, the Sukhu government will still have one vacant berth. The Himachal cabinet can accommodate maximum 10 ministers, including the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister.
