In another step to save his government after the debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Monday removed Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat from his Cabinet.
Her husband Satpal Maharaj, who was a senior Congress leader, had defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party in March this year.
“When Mr. Maharaj joined the BJP, many party MLAs requested the Chief Minister to drop her from the Cabinet. The decision was delayed because of the elections,” said Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat.
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Congress MLAs were divided among three leaders — Mr. Harish Rawat, the former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, and Mr. Maharaj. Now with the party losing all five seats to the BJP, infighting among the 33 Congress MLAs has increased.
Dinesh Dhanai, an independent MLA from Tehri, has now been appointed Cabinet Minister.