Amid speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan, All India Congress Committee general secretary Ajay Maken met party MLAs and Independents supporting the Congress here on Wednesday to get their feedback on the functioning of the State government.
Sources said the MLAs gave a mixed response to Mr. Maken’s queries.
Mr. Maken interacted with 66 MLAs from the Jaipur, Kota and Bharatpur divisions in the State Assembly building till late in the evening. The one-on-one discussions with legislators will continue on Thursday, covering the remaining four divisions of Jodhpur, Ajmer, Bikaner and Udaipur.
The AICC general secretary, who is in-charge of Rajasthan, held discussions with the MLAs on political appointments, performance of the Ministers in charge of their respective constituencies, progress of various welfare schemes, and the naming of the district and block presidents of the ruling party.
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took strong exception to the State government’s decision to organise the interaction in the Assembly building. BJP State president Satish Poonia said the ruling party’s “plebiscite exercise” had lowered the dignity of the Assembly and it should have been held somewhere else.
Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariawas, elected from Jaipur’s Civil Lines constituency, said the discussions were aimed at improving the State government’s performance, while the MLAs were provided with an opportunity to share their feedback and perspective in a “democratic manner”.
Chaksu MLA Ved Prakash Solanki, considered a loyalist of former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, reportedly suggested that the Congress leadership should also get feedback from the party candidates who were defeated in the 2018 Assembly elections.
Power-sharing setup
Mr. Maken, accompanied by senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, had visited the State Capital last week to work out a power sharing arrangement between the ruling party’s rival factions supporting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Tonk MLA Mr. Pilot. The exercise for getting the opinion of all MLAs was planned for evolving a consensus on new appointments to the Council of Ministers.
The Cabinet expansion and reshuffle, followed by appointments to various boards and corporations, may take place in the next few days, according to the party sources.
