Kamal Nath under pressure to expand cabinet

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath is under pressure from ministerial aspirants in the Congress Legislature Party (CLP)  to go for the long-awaited expansion of his cabinet post. Mr Nath who has held back the expansion of the state cabinet so for fearing backlash from the ministerial hopefuls who could not be accommodated in the proposed expansion of his cabinet may now have to give in to the pressure in the wake of victory of Congress in the just concluded by-elections in Jhabua (ST) Assembly constituency, sources said. “Mr Nath has been able to contain dissidence in Congress by throwing bait of berths in his cabinet at ministerial aspirants. Post Jhabua by-poll victory, the chief minister may not be able to delay expansion of his ministry further”, the Congress leader said to be close to Mr Nath indicated. Sources said Mr Nath was likely to hold discussion with the Congress leadership on the proposed expansion.

“We are expecting resolution of both the long-pending issues at the proposed meeting of Mr Nath and the Central leadership of Congress at Delhi”, the Congress leader said.

In another development, state government has initiated steps to establish legislative council in MP.

A high level official meeting headed by state chief secretary S R Mohanty was held here on Tuesday to give shape to the proposed legislative council in MP.

Incidentally, the move to establish legislative council was opposed tooth and nail by Opposition BJP which described it as an attempt by the chief minister to preempt any bid by dissident Congress MLAs to dislodge his government by accommodating them in his ministry.

“The chief minister wants to increase strength of by ministry by 11 members to accommodate ministerial hopefuls in his cabinet by creating the legislative council”, senior BJP minister and former minister Biswas Sarang said.