Working on a compromise formula, Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna on Monday decided to expand his cabinet tomorrow after the ruling Congress filed nomination papers of Mahendra Singh Mahra, a close confidante of the party’s rebel leader, Harish Rawat, for the lone Rajya Sabha seat.
Even as 11 Rawat-supported MLAs did not turn up at the Vidhan Sabha, Bahuguna tried to put up a brave face and went ahead to file nomination papers of Mahra in the Vidhan Sabha just one hour before the process ended. Later, he went to the Raj Bhavan to inform Governor Margaret Alva that he would expand his cabinet tomorrow.
Under the cabinet expansion, Bahuguna, 65, would accomodate three MLAs from the Harish Rawat camp. Further, he will make all the three independents, besides Pritam SIngh Panwar of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, ministers. Bahuguna would also give cabinet rank to senior PCC chief Yashpal Arya and Amrita Rawat, wife of senior Congress leader Satpal Maharaj, besides former inforamtion minister Indira Hridayesh.
A day after both Rawat and Bahuguna agreed to work together, 11 rebel Congress MLAs supporting Rawat did not turn up at the Vidhan Sabha despite a directive by PCC chief Yashpal Arya, who wanted all the MLAs to remain present in the House.
Earlier in the day, three more Congress MLAs took oath, giving some respite to Bahuguna, who is still struggling to expand his cabinet and face confidence vote as well as elect new Speaker.
The three Congress MLAs who took oath in the chamber of pro tem speaker Shailendra Mohan Singhal include senior party leader Indira Hridayesh (Haldwani), Madan Singh Bist (Dwarahaat) and Ganesh Godiyal (Srinagar).
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With this, a total of 21 Congress MLAs have so far taken oath of vidhan Sabha. The Congress has a strenght of 32 MLAs in the House of 70, banking heavily on the support of 7 non-BJP MLAs.
Bahuguna, later talking to reporters, expressed confidence that he would prove his majority in the House. “All the MLAs are with us,” said Bahuguna as hurriedly left the Vidhan Sabha.