Himachal cabinet to be expanded in next one or two days: Cong sources

The Himachal Pradesh cabinet of the newly elected Congress government in the hill state would be expanded in the next one or two days, top party sources said on Friday. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is in the national capital and held deliberations with top party leaders on the expansion of the state cabinet, the sources said.

Sukhu arrived here last evening and held closed-door meetings with several leaders in the national capital on the inclusion of various new MLAs in the state cabinet.

"The Himachal Pradesh cabinet would be formed in the next one or two days," a senior Congress leader told PTI, adding that deliberations for the same are going on.


The sources said deliberations would also be held with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, besides other senior leaders, including AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and AICC in-charge for Himachal Rajiv Shukla.

Since Priyanka Gandhi had played a role in campaigning for the party in the hill state, she would also have a say in the formation of the new cabinet, the sources said.

At present, only Chief Minister Sukhu and his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri are in place. It has been almost a month that the new cabinet was formed since the results were declared on December 8.

The Congress won Himachal assembly elections bagging 40 seats out of 68 assembly constituencies and wrested power from the BJP.

Himachal Pradesh is the only state that the Congress has won in the last four years, ending the series of electoral losses by the beleaguered party.

The newly elected MLAs had taken oath in the special assembly session held in Dharamshala. Congress legislator Kuldeep Singh Pathania was also elected Speaker during the three-day-long first session of 14th assembly.

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly was adjourned sine die on Friday.