Five new ministers were inducted into Pushkar Dhami‘s cabinet in Uttarakhand on Friday, taking the total strength to 12. With elections a year away, this is likely to be the last reshuffle of the Dhami government. The exercise seeks to address caste and regional imbalances and counter anti-incumbency.
The new entrants are former state president Madan Kaushik, and MLAs Khajan Dass, Bharat Singh Choudhary and Pradeep Batra. The selections indicate a preference for leaders with a clean image and strong grassroots support.
Kaushik’s induction is also seen as an attempt to bridge the gap between the state government and MP Trivendra Singh Rawat. Considered close to Rawat, his inclusion is aimed at accommodating him.
Of the 12 ministers, five-including Chief Minister Dhami-are from the Thakur community, while four are Brahmins. Two ministers are from the SC community, and one, Pradeep Batra, is from the Punjabi community. The cabinet now represents nine of the state’s 12 districts.
For the past year, there had been speculation about a possible leadership change, with such talk resurfacing whenever Dhami visited Delhi. Friday’s expansion appears to have put those rumours to rest, signalling the party’s backing of Dhami to lead it into the Assembly elections.
