No consensus on Raje cabinet expansion yet

During her stay in New Delhi last week, Raje failed to secure an appointment with party chief Amit Shah, when she was hoping to finalise the cabinet expansion. Busy with the polls, Shah had to leave for Haryana. However, sources say Shah postponed the discussion as PM Narendra Modi was not in the country and Shah did not want to take a decision by himself.

The senior party leadership in the state too has been cold-shouldered by the leadership in this regard. State party chief Ashok Parnami and senior leader Gulab Chand Kataria, who have been doing rounds of the party headquarters with the list of probables, have also failed to get appointments.

Meanwhile, disaffection has spread among senior legislators who have been waiting in anticipation of a berth.

With key portfolios such as home, finance, industry, revenue, civil defence, forest among others resting with her, Raje had to face flak for poor governance and law and order situation. Moreover, drawn in to campaign for the Maharashtra polls and with the local body elections slated in November, Raje’s attention is divided between running the state and her political engagements.

In Assembly too, the Raje government came under Opposition attack as former legislator Sanwar Lal Jat continued to attend sessions in the capacity of a cabinet minister even after being elected as an MP and resigning as a legislator. The ruling government must have at least six per cent of the total assembly strength as cabinet ministers, that is 12 ministers in Rajasthan. Jat’s ministership will nullify in November and the state government is set to face a constitutional crisis if the expansion is not effected by then.