Dhami expands Uttarakhand cabinet, inducts five MLAs

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expanded his cabinet by inducting five MLAs, taking it to full strength. The move aims to balance regional representation and comes ahead of next year’s Assembly elections

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expanded his cabinet on Friday, with five MLAs taking oath as ministers at the Lok Bhavan here.

With the induction of the new ministers — Khazan Das, Bharat Singh Chaudhary, Madan Kaushik, Pradeep Batra and Ram Singh Kaida — the Uttarakhand cabinet has reached its maximum strength of 12, officials said.

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During a ceremony held at the Lok Bhavan here, Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers.

Khazan Das represents the Rajpur Road constituency in Dehradun, while Bharat Singh Chaudhary represents Rudraprayag, Madan Kaushik represents Haridwar, Pradeep Batra represents Roorkee and Ram Singh Kaida represents Bhimtal.

Chaudhary, Batra and Kaida have received the opportunity to serve as ministers for the first time, whereas Das and Kaushik have previously been in the cabinet.

The cabinet expansion reflects an effort to strike a balance between the Garhwal and Kumaon regions, as well as to ensure representation for plains and hill areas, a move considered significant ahead of the state Assembly elections next year.

Congratulating the new ministers, the chief minister stated that the entire team would work collectively towards the development of the state and public service.

“Our objective is to ensure that the benefits of development reach the last person standing at the farthest corner of the state, providing them with opportunities to progress. We will all work with a spirit of teamwork, dedicated to serving the people of the state,” Dhami said.

Besides Dhami, his cabinet colleagues and other dignitaries were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.