MP Cabinet Expansion: Prahlad Patel, Kailash Vijayvargiya Among 28 MLAs Sworn In As Ministers

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Oath Ceremony: The new cabinet ministers were administered the oath by Governor Mangubhai Patel at Raj Bhawan on Monday.

The Madhya Pradesh cabinet, led by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, was expanded on Monday with 28 legislators, including former Union minister Prahlad Patel and BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, taking oath. The swearing-in ceremony took place at Raj Bhavan, where Governor Mangubhai Patel administered the oath of office and secrecy. The newly formed cabinet comprises 18 cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state, including six with independent charge.

Among the inductees, 17 are new faces, reflecting the party's emphasis on a fresh and diverse leadership. Notably, the cabinet features a diverse representation, with five women ministers, 12 from the OBC community, five tribals, and four from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category, news agency PTI reported a BJP functionary as saying.

Among the cabinet ministers who took the oath are Vijay Shah, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Prahlad Patel, Karan Singh Verma, Rakesh Singh, Uday Pratap Singh, Sampatia Uikey, Tulsiram Silawat, Aidal Singh Kansana, Govind Singh Rajput, Vishvas Sarang, Nirmala Bhuria, Narayan Singh Kushawaha, Nagar Singh Chouhan, Pradyumna Singh Tomar, Rakesh Shukla, Chaitanya Kashyap, and Inder Singh Parmar.

The ministers of state with independent charge include Krishna Gaur, Dharmendra Bhav Lodhi, Dilip Jaiswal, Gautam Tetwal, Lakhan Patel, and Narayan Singh Pawar. Other ministers of state who were sworn in are Narendra Shivaji Patel, Pratima Bagri, Dilip Ahirwar, and Radha Singh.

Highlighting the diversity in the cabinet, BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal stated, "This is an effort to prove 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabka Prayas'." Agrawal added that 17 out of the 28 newly inducted MLAs are fresh faces, while 11 others have previously served as ministers in Madhya Pradesh, as per PTI.

Several members of the new cabinet are notable for their political background, with Kailash Vijayvargiya having served as a minister in the BJP government from 2004 to 2016. Prahlad Patel, a former Union minister, won his maiden assembly poll from the Narsinghpur seat.

Agrawal also highlighted the inclusion of four loyalists of Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in the cabinet, stating that they were among the 22 MLAs of Congress who defected to the BJP, leading to the collapse of the Kamal Nath government in March 2020, PTI reported.

Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, CM Mohan Yadav met the governor and said that the new cabinet will work for the betterment of the state under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders.

"The new cabinet will work for the betterment of the state under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda and state party chief VD Sharma," said the CM, who met Nadda in New Delhi on Sunday evening.

The maximum strength of the council of ministers in Madhya Pradesh, which elects 230 legislators, is 35 including the chief minister. With the induction of these 28 ministers, the total strength of the Yadav cabinet has now reached 31, including CM Yadav and his two deputies, Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda.

CM Yadav, and his deputies, Shukla and Devda were sworn in for their respective offices on December 13. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party retained its rule in MP during the state assembly elections held last month, sweeping victory on 163 seats while limiting the Congress to 66.