Chief Minister Hemant Soren is likely to expand his cabinet after kharmas, an inauspicious period in Hindu calendar. As kharmas ends on January 14, auspicious work is to begin after Makarshakranti, and it is all likely that the Chief Minister may expand his cabinet any time after January 15.
At present three ministerial posts are vacant in Soren cabinet, one vacated after the death of Haji Hussain Ansari, second arising after resignation of Jagarnath Mahato from post as he is recovering from a post-Covid lung transplant surgery at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Health Care (MGM) Chennai. The third ministerial post is vacant as against the total strength of 12 ministers in the Cabinet, the Hemant Soren government is functioning with eleven ministers.
Sources said that out of three ministerial posts two is likely to go to JMM as both Ansari and Mahato were ministers from JMM quota. One ministerial post is likely to go to Congress. A Congress leader requesting anonymity said, “We are hopeful that after Kharmas, the Chief Minister is going to expand his cabinet. Presently chief minister and other ministers are overburdened as both Ansari and Jagarnath Mahato’s departments are shared among Chief Minister and other ministers.”
Mahato was holding school education & Literacy apart from excise & prohibition, while school education and literacy is kept by Chief Minister Soren, the excise and prohibition department has been given to transport minister, Champai Soren.
Similarly, Haji Hussain Ansari’s minority welfare and registration department too was shared among other ministers.
While on one hand cabinet expansion is on the cards, lobbying for ministerial post has intensified. Few days back, raising the issue of lack of representation in the Jharkhand Cabinet, the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas SFX demanded the inclusion of a Christian minister in the Hemant Soren government.
“We are happy with the Hemant Soren government, but we believe that there should be at least one Christian minister in the Cabinet who must be truly representative of Christian society and understands our sentiments and problems,” said the Secretary General of the CBCI.
State Congress chief and Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon supported his demand. “If the demand has been raised, the Chief Minister will definitely look into it and take a decision in this regard,” said Oraon.
If the Archbishop's demand is considered then it is likely that one post is going to any of the Christian lawmakers either from JMM or Congress quota. Also, as Haji Hussain Ansari was holding minority welfare than it is likely another minority (Muslim) leader will be accommodated in the Soren cabinet.