Madhya Pradesh: Massive cabinet reshuffle as senior leaders Prahlad Patel, Vijayvargiya become ministers

| Updated: 25 December, 2023 5:22 pm IST

NEW DELHI: Following a significant reshuffle within the Madhya Pradesh government, three influential Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have now assumed ministerial roles under debutante Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s leadership.

Among the new cabinet ministers are included former MPs Prahlad Patel and Rakesh Singh, alongside National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya. This is a notable shift for the senior leaders, with them being reduced to mere Cabinet ministers in Bhopal, on Monday afternoon.

The trio finds themselves among the 28 ministers sworn into the MP cabinet, with 18 designated for the cabinet, while the remaining 10 have been designated as junior ministers.

Despite the BJP’s strong emphasis on women’s empowerment during their campaign, the new cabinet comprises only five women. This is in stark contrast to the party’s assertions during the campaign, which heavily featured former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’ scheme.

Furthermore, the composition of the cabinet reflects the BJP’s strategic balancing act concerning caste and class representation. Notably, 11 members belong to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, a calculated move ahead of the looming general elections next year.

The oath-taking ceremony was administered by Governor Mangubha C Patel. The swearing-in also included several prominent leaders such as Nirmala Bhuria, Narayan Singh Kushwaha, and Nagar Singh Chouhan. Bhuria previously held the post of junior Health Minister, while Kushwaha served as the junior Home Minister.

Tribal leader Sampatiya Uikey was among the additions to the cabinet, alongside Vijay Shah, Karan Singh Verma and Uday Pratap Singh.

The cabinet also bore witness to the inclusion of leaders from former Congress rebel Jyotiraditya Scindia’s cohort. Pradhuman Singh Tomar, Aidal Singh Kansana, Tulsi Ram Silawat and Govind Singh Rajput belonging to the Scindia fold were also included in the Cabinet.

Earlier, it was Scindia’s rebellion which led to the collapse of former CM Kamal Nath’s government in the state.

These changes represent the initial steps in forming the state government after the recent elections. The decision-making process involved extensive consultations at the highest levels of the saffron party’s central leadership, including national President Jay Prakash Nadda.

The BJP had clinched a resounding victory in the recent Assembly elections with 163 seats out of the 230, with the Congress securing only 66 seats. Earlier, the Grand Old Party had secured 114 seats in the previous elections.