After the swearing-in of Virbhadra Singh and nine other as minister, hectic lobbying to grab plum post in the state Cabinet has started.
It is learned that the new ministers will have to remain without any departments for a day or two more as the stalemate continues, with the ministers of the “anti-Virbhadra Singh camp” lobbying hard with the high command to secure plum portfolios. Few rival camp leaders have even rushed to Delhi to meet Central leaders to present their case.
There is no clear word on the distribution of portfolio as they have not reached on consensus over it. If sources believed then there was a tussle among top leaders over the key portfolios like the PWD, Irrigation and Public Health, Power, Tourism and Transport. The tentative proposal was to give Tourism and Urban Development to Sudhir Sharma, Industries to Mukesh Agnihotri, Health to GS Bali, Agriculture to Sujan Singh Pathania, Forest to Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Education to Dhani Ram Shandil and Food and Civil Supplies to Prakash Chaudhary.
No 2 in the government Vidya Stokes is likely to award with Public Works or Power portfolio, which she had hold in previous Govt, but it is learned that she is reluctant for power department, while Kaul Singh Thakur is eyeing on Education Department.
