Cabinet Expansion on Cards, Says Sukhu

Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday hinted towards the plan of expanding the cabinet.

- Shailee Dogra

SHIMLA: Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday hinted towards the plan of expanding the cabinet.

"The cabinet will also be expanded soon and its information will be made public when the time comes," he said, while talking to media persons on the sidelines of flagging off 12 electric scooters from his official residence Oak Over in Shimla.

One cabinet berth has been lying vacant since the formation of the Congress government. The maximum number of ministers, including the chief minister, cannot exceed 12. The Congress has a total of 40 legislators in the 68-member House. With infighting in the grand old party, Sukhu will be forced to walk the tightrope.

Also with the reconstitution of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) expected soon, there are chances that Congress will implement "one man, one post". As per party insiders one more cabinet berth is likely to fall vacant if the party chooses someone from the cabinet for the post of president.

HPCC has been lying defunct since November last year, after party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge dissolved the committee on November 6, 2024, along with the district and block units, though Pratibha Singh was retained as president of the committee.