Speculation is rife regarding the possible Cabinet reshuffle in the State. The Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay have hinted at chances of Cabinet reshuffle while Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat saying that considering the limited time left for the present Government, a Cabinet reshuffle would not be desirable. However, all leaders of the Congress have stressed that any decision either on filling the position vacated by the demise of Cabinet Minister Surendra Rakesh or on a Cabinet reshuffle, will be taken by the party high command.
The demand for Cabinet reshuffle to accommodate Congress MlAs has been a long-standing demand from among the party. Some Congress leaders believe that the coalition partner Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) has been accorded disproportionately high representation in the Cabinet with four of its members - Pritam Singh Panwar, Harish Chandra Durgapal, Mantri Prasad Naithani and Dinesh Dhanai - being made Cabinet Ministers.
Recently, former Chief Minister and Sitarganj MlA Vijay Bahuguna talked to the Chief Minister on issues including the possibility of Cabinet reshuffle. Bahuguna has said that there is nothing uncommon in Cabinet reshuffles either at the State or Centre. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has said that he is prepared for a Cabinet reshuffle whenever the party high command directs it.
The CM and PCC chief are expected to discuss the issue with the party high command in Delhi in the coming days and some aver that chances of a Cabinet reshuffle are high after President Pranab Mukherjee’s Uttarakhand visit. It will be recalled that after recently taking oath as the Bhagwanpur MlA, Mamta Rakesh, the widow of Cabinet Minister Surendra Rakesh had said that the voters had elected her to make her a Cabinet Minister and not just an MlA.
Earlier, the supporters of Khanpur MlA Pranav Singh ‘Champion’ had also demonstrated in Dehradun, seeking a Cabinet berth for him. Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat has said that it would be proper only to fill the Cabinet berth vacated by the demise of Surendra Rakesh. He said that going for a Cabinet reshuffle would be improper at this time hinting at the need to focus on Government performance till the 2017 Assembly elections. Though, there is much talk of a Cabinet reshuffle being in the offing, as the PCC chief and CM have pointed out, this will depend largely on the will of the party high command0.