Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot meet to decide who gets what

Following the induction of 13 ministers in the Ashok Gehlot cabinet and the swearing-in of 10 ministers of state the brainstorming over distribution of portfolios has started in Rajasthan.

There are now 25 ministers in the Gehlot government, including the chief minister himself and his deputy, Sachin Pilot.

According to constitutional provision, there cannot be more than 30 ministers in the Rajasthan government. The remaining berths have been left vacant to be filled up after the Lok Sabha elections are conducted on May next year.

The cabinet, crafted in consultation with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, is seen as a balancing act between the old guards and young turks in the Congress. 

After the oath ceremony concluded at the Raj Bhawan, a meeting was held at the Gehlot’s residence to discuss portfolios of the new ministers. Pilot was also present in the meeting along with senior Congress leaders. Though the meeting remained inconclusive as Pilot and Gehlot continued to bat for their men, sources said.

Pilot, who has managed to get his loyalists on board the Gehlot government, is seeking his pound of flesh in the portfolio distribution. It also remains to be seen what portfolio Pilot will handle as he too has taken oath as a minister of Gehlot’s cabinet in the swearing-in ceremony against the backdrop of Albert Hall on December 17.

Talking to media persons, CM Gehlot said that the first cabinet meeting will be held soon. “We will table the party manifesto in the first cabinet and start working on it. We will deliver good governance,” he said. Asked when is the first cabinet meet expected to take place, the chief minister said, “As soon as portfolios are distributed the first cabinet will be held.” 

Deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot also spoke on the same lines as Gehlot. He said that the portfolios will be distributed to the newly indicted ministers soon. “This is a balanced cabinet and... it will be soon (portfolios will be decided),” he said.

Sources said the next round of meetings to decide over the portfolio allocation could happen either in Jaipur or on Delhi. It depends on how the two factions come together on a common page for the portfolios to be finalised, a party office bearer said.

Congress leaders maintained the portfolio distribution would decide who among the two leaders managed to get their team the plum posts. It is likely that Gehlot retains the finance portfolio. He has already appointed retired bureaucrat Arvind mayaram as his economic advisor to CM. 

Unveiled! The Face Of The New Government

After both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot were on the same page, 13 cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of State were inducted in the state cabinet 

13 Cabinet Ministers

• BD Kalla
• Shanti Dhariwal
• Parsadilal Meena
• Master Bhanwar Lal Meghwal
• Lalchand Kataria
• Raghu Sharma
• Pramod Jain Bhaya
• Vishvendra Singh
• Harish Choudhary
• Rameshchand Meena
• Uday Lal Aanjna
• Pratap Singh Khachariyawas
• Saleh Mohammad

10 State Ministers

• Govind Singh ‌Dotasara
• Mamta Bhupesh
• Arjun Bamniya
• Bhanwar Singh Bhati
• Sukhram Vishnoi
• Ashok Chandna
• Tikaram Juli
• Bhajanlal Jatav
• Rajendra Singh Yadav
• Subhash Garg