Coming at a time when the Congress-led State Government of Uttarakhand appears to be tackling the debilitating effects of political fluctuations and fiscal imbalance, the induction of Vikasnagar MlA Navprabhat and Badrinath MlA Rajendra Singh Bhandari into the State Cabinet on Thursday has been welcomed by the Pradesh Congress Committee as a “wise decision”. Reacting to the development, PCC chief Kishore Upadhyay hailed the decision of Chief Minister Harish Rawat citing it as a mark of his “political maturity”.
Expressing his views after Navprabhat and Bhandari were administered the oath of office as members of the Cabinet, the PCC chief said that expansion of the State cabinet is a prerogative of the CM Harish Rawat.
He opined, “The pragmatism with which the Chief Minister inducted new members into his cabinet displays his level of political maturity. The decision taken by the chief minister is most suitable in view of the political situation at present in Uttarakhand. The CM acted wisely by choosing experienced persons as a result of which not only will the State benefit from their experience but with the expansion of the cabinet new dimensions will be added to developmental efforts which will also pick up pace,” he said. Congratulating senior Congress MlA Navprabhat and Bhandari, the PCC chief further pointed out that both of them have been members of the State in the past and have extensive experience in governance and administration. He expressed hope that the cabinet expansion will not only facilitate the intended welfare of the State and its people but will also prove politically beneficial to the Congress party.
However, political pundits are expressing dissimilar opinions stating that the official stance of the Congress in Uttarakhand appears to be based on factors like wishful thinking. At a time when the Congress-led State Government and the party’s organisational structure in Uttarakhand appear to be focusing their efforts respectively on haggling with the Central Government for funds and tackling political upstarts, the cabinet expansion may not necessarily achieve the outcome desired by the party. Considering various regional aspects, factors including factionalism and fluctuations in the party and opposition, it remains to be seen whether the cabinet expansion will benefit the state and its people or end up being mainly a factor blamed or extolled for detrimental or beneficial political repercussions.