Raipur, The Chhattisgarh cabinet reached its maximum constitutional limit on Wednesday as Governor Ramen Deka administered the oath of office and secrecy to three new ministers. The induction of the new members raises the total number of ministers to 14.
This is the first time the state has utilised the full constitutional provision for cabinet size since the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act of 2003, which caps a state’s council of ministers at 15 per cent of the total strength of its legislative assembly. For Chhattisgarh’s 90-member assembly, this limit is 14.
The three new ministers are all first-time MLAs: Rajesh Agrawal, Guru Khushwant Saheb, and Gajendra Yadav. The swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan was attended by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Assembly Speaker Dr. Raman Singh, Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, and other senior leaders.
The new ministers have been assigned key portfolios. Gajendra Yadav will serve as the Minister of School Education, Law and Legal Affairs, and Cottage Industries. Guru Khushwant Saheb was given the Ministry of Skill Development, Technical Education and Employment, and Scheduled Caste Development. Rajesh Agrawal will take charge of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Religious Trusts and Endowments.
The expansion fills the final vacant post left after the resignation of then-minister Brijmohan Agrawal, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Raipur last year. The expansion reflects a strategic balance of caste and regional representation.
The newly expanded cabinet now includes seven members from the OBC community. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and two ministers represent the Scheduled Tribes, while two ministers represent the Scheduled Caste community. Two members, including Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, represent the general category. Laxmi Rajwade remains the only woman member in the cabinet. Geographically, the cabinet has five members from Surguja division, three from Bilaspur, two from Raipur, three from Durg, and one from the Bastar division.
Rajesh Agrawal, 58, the MLA from Ambikapur, famously defeated senior Congress leader T.S. Singhdeo by just 94 votes. Guru Khushwant Saheb, 36, represents the Arang constituency, reserved for the Scheduled Caste category, and is the son of Satnami sect leader Baldas Saheb. Gajendra Yadav, the Durg MLA, comes from the OBC Yadav community and has a background with the RSS.
This cabinet expansion is seen as a crucial step for the BJP to solidify its political base and fulfil its governance agenda ahead of future elections.