With the expansion of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Bharatiya Janata Party Cabinet in Madhya Pradesh, a chunk of the berths went to new joinee Jyotiraditya Scindia’s camp. Of the 28 new ministers who became a part of the Cabinet, nine were the former Congress leader’s main supporters.
In the process, several ministry hopefuls were excluded, including supporters of senior BJP leader Uma Bharati and Indore MLA Ramesh Mendola. The former even claimed that her suggestions were completely ignored, while one of Mendola’s supporters reportedly tried to immolate himself.
Meanwhile, in Mandsaur, the supporters of MLA Yashpal Singh Sisodiya sat on dharna, demanding their leader be absorbed in the MP Cabinet.
Bharati, a former chief minister, also complained that the ministers’ list is not inclusive and does not adequately represent all castes and regions. She had pitched for the inclusion of MLAs from Bundelkhand and from Lodhi OBC caste, yet none were incorporated. The MP Cabinet now has maximum representation from upper castes such as Thakurs and Brahmins.
This led to widespread protests within hours of the expansion, probably exposing the first fissures within Madhya Pradesh BJP.
Notably, the BJP government would not have succeeded in toppling the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in the state had the Scindia scion not defected with 22 other MLAs. To reward the newcomers, 14 of them were inducted into the MP Cabinet, which was not taken well by the MP BJP old guard and the Chief Minister’s loyalists.
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