Madhya Pradesh: CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Expands Cabinet For Third Time, 2 Scindia Loyalists Return As Ministers

Two loyalists of BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, Tulsiram Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput, were inducted as Cabinet Ministers at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday expanded its cabinet for the third time since he took over as the chief minister in March last year following the collapse of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government. The oath of the office was administered by Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel. Chouhan, Protem Speaker Rameshwar Sharma and several state cabinet cabinet minister were present during the brief ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal today. Two loyalists of BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, Tulsiram Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput, were inducted as Cabinet Ministers at the Raj Bhavan. Silawat and Rajput, the two MLAs who quit Congress, joined the BJP along with Scindia in March last year which led to the collapse of the 1.5-year-old Kamal Nath government. The two were made ministers in the Chouhan government but were forced to step down as by-elections got delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. BJP in the Madhya Pradesh byelections 2020 had emerged victorious with 19 of the 28 seats while Congress on the other hand could secure only nice seats. Out of the 19 winners of the ruling BJP, 15 were those who had quit the Congress with Scindia. Three incumbent ministers- Aidal Singh Kansana, Imarti Devi and Girraj Dandotiya- lost the bypolls and had to resign. There are 29 members in the state Cabinet at present, including the CM, and the maximum strength cannot exceed 35. (With PTI inputs)