Jogi initiates Cabinet formation

RAIPUR, NOV 3: Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Ajit Jogi has initiated the exercise for formation of his Cabinet. According to reliable sources, the first Cabinet of Chhattisgarh state will have 18 to 22 members with two deputy chief ministers.

Sources added that Jogi will constitute his Cabinet only after consulting AICC chief Sonia Gandhi. He left for Delhi today morning. Sources informed that all 13 ministers of the Chhattisgarh region in the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet would be retained. Among the other front runners for ministerial berths are Badruddin Qureshi, Amitesh Shukla (son of former chief minister and Congress MP Shyama Charan Shukla) and tribal MLA Madhav Singh Dhruv.

Political activity within the Congress too has gained momentum with countdown starting for the formation of the Cabinet. Jogi held discussions earlier today with Shyama Charan Shukla. Last night, he met three rebel MLAs Dharamjeet Singh, Vidhan Mishra and Ganesh Shanker Vajpayee belonging to Vidya Charan Shukla’s camp. V.C. Shukla had bitterly opposed Jogi’s swearing-in.

Both the groups of the Congress are waiting to see what action is taken against V.C. Shukla. It is learnt that the party high command is trying not to bring the matters to a head till the party organisational elections get over as it might affect the prospects of party chief Sonia Gandhi.