"Public Despair": Ashok Gehlot Questions Rajasthan Cabinet Expansion Delay

Questioning the delay in allocation of ministerial berths in BJP-ruled Rajasthan, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today claimed confusion in every department of the state government and despair among the people who don't know their ministers after 22 days of poll results.

"There is despair because the people of Rajasthan gave a clear mandate to BJP on December 3. But even after 22 days, the cabinet has not been formed. This has led to a halt in government functioning. There is a state of confusion in every department. People do not know who to approach for their problems. The cabinet must be formed at the earliest so that the government's work can proceed smoothly," the former Chief Minister said in a post on X.

Mr Gehlot said he has also received information from the media that private hospitals are refusing treatment under his government's Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme. "The present government must clear its stand on our schemes so that people are not harassed. They should continue our schemes till new schemes are implemented," he added.

The BJP has chosen first-time MLA Bhajan Lal Sharma as its chief minister in Rajasthan ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Mr Sharma took the oath of office on December 12 with two deputies -- Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa. The names of the other ministers are yet to be announced.

Mr Sharma has made two trips to Delhi, and it is learnt that the list of ministers is final. Sources in the BJP said the state party unit is waiting for the high command's go-ahead for the swearing-in event that could happen anytime in the next two days.

The new cabinet, it is learnt, will have both seasoned leaders and first-time ministers. Some faces from the Vasundhara Raje cabinet in the previous BJP government in Rajasthan may also find cabinet berths. Caste equations and Lok Sabha polls, BJP sources said, are key factors in selection of ministers.