The Congress, while finalising the names of MLAs in Hemant Soren Cabinet has decided to go through caste configuration and regional balance. As the elected Congress MLAs come from different regions of South Chottanagarpur, North Chottanagpur, Kolhan, Koylaanchal and Santhal Pargana, the Congress high command with an aim to strengthen its base plans to give equal representation from all regions.
Sources said that from South Chottanagpur, name of Congress MLA from Lohardaga Rameshwar Oroan are doing rounds in the list of Minister. However, sources said that the Congress high command wants Oroan to be made as Speaker, but Oroan preference is to become Minister. Oroan, the former IPS officer and Congress State President defeated BJP candidate and former Congress State president Sukhdeo Bhagat to become an MLA for the first time.
From North Chottanagpur region the names of two women MLAs is doing rounds. Ramgarh MLA Mamta Devi and Barkagaon MLA Amba Prasad are said to top contenders in list of minister.
Mamta Devi, who defeated Girdih MP and AJSU leader Chandra Prakash Choudhary’s wife Sunita by a margin of around 28,000 votes in this Assembly election, is the wife of Bajrang Mahto, who runs a roadside hotel in Gola where the couple lives with their son.
Similarly, Barkagaon MLA Amba Prasad had to jump into active politics after her parents former Minister Yogendra and Nirmala Devi, both of whom had represented the same constituency earlier, had to opt out owing to the criminal cases slapped against them.
Congress MLA from Mahagama Deepika Pandey Singh too is also potential claimant for ministerial berth. Like Amba, she too comes from political family as her mother Pratibha Pandey was senior Congress leader. She was Youth Congress national general secretary and Northeast in-charge of Congress and was in the team of Rahul Gandhi.
Six-time MLA from Bermo and senior INTUC leader Rajendra Prasad Singh becoming Minister is almost final. Rajendra Prasad Singh worked very hard in ensuring Congress victory in Koylaanchal. Rajendra Singh who has vast legislative experience has served as Cabinet minister during unified Bihar and after separate State of Jharkhand was carved out.
From Santhal Pargana the name of Pakur MLA Alamgir Alam and Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari is also doing the rounds. By making Alam and Ansari Ministers the Congress party wants to give a positive message to minority community that in past few elections has remained a distance from Congress.
Congress spokesperson, Lal Kishore Nath Shahdeo said, “ We have demanded five to six ministerial berths along with the Speaker’s post. However the final names will be decided by party high command.”