Every minister under the Rajasthan government presented their resignation papers to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on November 20. Their departure gives way for a rejig of the state Council of Ministers.
The latest Rajasthan Cabinet will take an oath to the office on November 21, reports stated, quickly after it was established that the incumbent state ministers have retired. The significant reshuffle action arises soon before the Gehlot-led Congress government achieves its three years in office.
A Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) meeting has been set in Jaipur on November 21, where the names of the new representatives in the Council of Ministers will be addressed.
Distinctly, the party has chosen to realign the state Council of Ministers mere days after it posted a powerful performance in the by-polls taking place in two assembly seats of Rajasthan. The ruling Congress had grasped the Vallabhnagar constituency and wrestled Dhariawad from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The preparation for the cabinet reshuffle had started with various series of meetings between Congress leader Sachin Pilot and senior leaders in Delhi. Mr Gehlot also engaged with party leaders, including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Half a dozen followers of Mr Pilot are expected to be incorporated into the cabinet, and he could be given a more significant role in the party outside of Rajasthan.
Mr Gehlot will also incorporate some of the previous BSP MLAs who joined the Congress in Rajasthan, giving it a healthy majority in the 200-member house.