Portfolios for the new ministers, who were sworn in by Chhattisgarh governor Anandiben Patel, are yet to be announced.
Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday conducted the first expansion of his Cabinet by inducting nine Congress MLAs, including a woman legislator, as ministers.
With this, the strength of the Baghel-led Cabinet has gone up to 12.
Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath to the new ministers during a function held at the Police Parade Ground here.
Also read: Bhupesh Baghel, new Chhattisgarh CM who put Congress back together after Naxal massacre
Two other Congress legislators T S Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu had taken oath as ministers on December 17, after Baghel was sworn in as chief minister.
Those sworn in on Tuesday included four-time MLA Mohammad Akbar, the lone Muslim face inducted into the Cabinet, former Leader of Opposition Ravindra Choubey, Jaisingh Agrawal and two-time MLA Umesh Patel.
Woman MLA Anila Bhedia, and Kawasi Lakhma and Premsai Singh Tekam were the tribal leaders inducted into the Cabinet.
State Congress’s working president Shiv Kumar Daharia and Rudra Guru, belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, were also sworn in as ministers.
All the ministers took oath in Hindi.
The portfolios were yet to be announced.
Also read: No withdrawal of troops from Maoist-hit areas, says Chhattisgarh CM Baghel
Senior Congress leader P L Punia, Chief Minister Baghel and other leaders were present on the occasion.
The Chhattisgarh Cabinet can have a maximum of 13 ministers, including the chief minister.
The Congress returned to power in the state after 15 years, dislodging the Raman Singh-led BJP government.
The Congress bagged 68 of the total 90 seats in the Assembly, while the BJP won only 15 seats.-PTI
1. With induction of nine misters, hopefully there will be no scope for dissidence within Congress Legislative party of Chhattisgarh. 1. Though Bhupesh Baghel was picked up Congress President for post of Chief Minister (CM) of Chhattisgarh, I understand that there were as many as four aspirants for Chief Minister’s post in Chhattisgarh. 2. There is no doubt that success of the Congress party in Chhattisgarh Assembly election in 2018 is worth a serious study. Here we will be erring if overlook a basic fact. Congress has secured 43% of total votes and 75 % Assembly seats. Of course, this kind of distortion is repeated in all elections as we have adopted ‘first past the post’ or FPTP system of deciding the winning candidate. 3. CM of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel wishes to control spread of Maoism in his state and that is fine. We wish him all the success. 4. I think CM Baghel has to find out this: why are the Maoists in a position to do what they wish to do? Is it that they are supported by local politicians and even a section of the bureaucracy? 4. Is it not true that all these years Maoists’ supply lines have remained intact? Is it not true that the Maoists are in a position to buy arms and ammunition without any problem? CM would succeed against Maoists only if he finds facts about methods of operation of the Maoists.