Less than a year after Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal inducted two Cabinet-rank ministers and three parliamentary secretaries to complete his ministry,another round of expansion is on the cards in Himachal Pradesh. To fill up the vacancy created after Forest Minister J P Naddas elevation as national general secretary of the BJP,fresh lobbying has started within the party. According to sources,matters are likely to get complicated. Dhumal,however,doesnt need to make much effort to find a substitute for Nadda. BJP MLA Randhir Sharma,who also hails from Bilaspur,can be an obvious choice. Sharma is a confidant of Dhumal and has had long innings as student leader and has been working with the party. He is also a Brahmin (Nadda was) and the CM can use him to keep his vote-bank. Deputy Speaker Rikhi Ram Kaundal,too,is lobbying for a Cabinet berth. He hails from Bilaspur (Naddas home district). Kaundal was made the Deputy Speaker as replacement to Khimi Ram,who was appointed the BJP state president in July 2009. But,if that happens,Dhumal will have no representation of Brahmins in the Cabinet. Some of the names like Suresh Bhardwaj,a former BJP president and Shimla MLA,are also making the rounds. Bhardwaj,in fact,had initially tried to create his own pressure group within the party after he was left-out from the ministry in 2008. He has now buried the hatchet with Dhumal. Last week,when Dhumal pushed the case of Chander Mohan Thakur for the Rajya Sabha,Bhardwaj had thrown his weight behind him. His efforts to come close to the CM may payoff,feel partymen. Theres also a possibility of including Tulsi Ram as Cabinet minister and choosing a new Speaker among senior MLA Roop Singh Thakur or elevating Kaundal as a Speaker. The claim of Khushi Ram Balnatah,who recently won the prestigious Rohru Assembly seat in the by-polls,is equally strong. Balnatah is a loyalist of Shanta Kumar and his (Shanta) as appointment as senior vice-president of the BJP by Nitin Gadkari also holds weight. Lone Sikh legislator Hari Narain Saini,too,is eyeing the berth. But,finally,it will be Dhumal calling the shots. Possibilities of reshuffle in the portfolios of some ministers also cant be ruled-out as the CM has to make a politically correct choice for allocation of the Parliamentary Affairs charge,along with Forest and Law. Bindal is seen as a strong choice for Parliamentary Affairs,beside Bhardwaj,if he is inducted.
