Team News Riveting
Jaipur, November 20
All the Ministers in the Congress-ruled Rajasthan resigned after a meeting at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s residence here on Saturday evening.
The development came ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle that dissident camp led by Sachin Pilot had been eyeing for last long time. State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, who along with two other ministers had offered to resign in a letter to party’s National President Sonia Gandhi, had moved a proposal in this regard at the beginning of the meeting following which all ministers resigned.
Dotasra, and the two Ministers Harish Chaudhary and Raghu Sharma had expressed their desire to work for the party in the letter to the Congress president.
The countdown to the Cabinet reshuffle had begun with several rounds of meetings between Congress leader Sachin Pilot and senior leaders in Delhi. The Chief Minister has also met party leaders, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
Sources in the Congress party said that about half a dozen supporters of Pilot were likely to be included in the Cabinet and he himself could be given a larger role in the party outside of Rajasthan. Pilot has been desperately campaigning to get his supporters into the Cabinet and has even raised revolt against the Chief Minister.
Some of the former BSP MLAs who merged with the Congress in Rajasthan, giving the party a comfortable majority in the 200-member house, are also likely to be inducted in the Cabinet.
The Rajasthan Cabinet presently has 21 Ministers and can add another nine. The new Cabinet is likely to take oath on Sunday evening.
