Chandigarh: All the seven Independent MLAs,
who bailed out the minority Bhupinder Singh Hooda government
in Haryana during a confidence vote in the state Assembly,
were rewarded with ministerial berths during the expansion of
the 13-day-old Congress ministry on Saturday.
With the induction of six Cabinet ministers and three
Ministers of State, the size of the Hooda ministry has gone up
to 10, including the Chief Minister.
Of the six Cabinet ministers sworn in by Governor Jagan
Nath Pahadia at Raj Bhawan, five belong to Congress and one is
an Independent MLA. All the three Ministers of State inducted
today are independent MLAs.
The remaining three Independent MLAs have been made Chief
Parliamentary Secretaries, who were administered oath by the
Chief Minister.
This was the first expansion of the fledgling ministry
which came to power for the second consecutive time with the
support of these Independent MLAs as the party was six short
of majority in the 90-member House. Congress won 40 seats
against 67 seats it bagged in 2005.
Hooda also administered oath to six Congress MLAs as Chief
Parliamentary Secretaries as the state can have a maximum of
14 ministers in the Cabinet.
Of the 13 ministers in the previous Hooda government, only
two -- Ajay Yadav and Randeep Surjewala -- have been retained.
Another minister in the previous government -- Harmohinder
Singh Chatha -- has been made the Assembly Speaker.
Since talks with Haryana Janhit Congress-BL leader Kuldeep
Bishnoi on joining the government remained inconclusive, some
ministerial slots have been left vacant to accommodate its
legislators in case of an agreement with the six member party.
Besides, Ajay Yadav and Randeep Surjewala, the other
Cabinet ministers sworn in today are -- Mahender Partap Singh,
Paramvir Singh and Geeta Bukal (all Congress) and Om Parkash
Jain, an Independent MLA.
The three Independents sworn in as Ministers of State are
Shiv Charan Sharma, Gopal Kanda and Sukhbir Kataria, who was
sworn in later as he could not reach the Raj Bhawan in time.
The remaining three Independent MLAs sworn in as Chief
Parliamentary Secretaries by Hooda at a separate function are
Jaleb Khan, Prahlad Singh Gillan Khera and Sultan Singh.
The six Congress MLAs sworn in as Chief Parliamentary
Secretaries include two women Sharda Rathore and Anita Yadav.
The others are Ram Kishan Fauji, Rao Dan Singh, Dharam Vir and
Jaiveer Balmiki.
In the newly constituted ministry Paramvir Singh, who
was a Parliamentary Secretary in the previous regime, has
been elevated as a Cabinet minister.
However, two women ministers in the previous regime --
Kiran Chaudhary and Savitri Jindal, mother of Congress MP
Navin Jindal, who have won this time too -- have not been
accommodated.
Bureau Report
