Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 15 : After Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's return to Dehradun from his Delhi visit on Sunday, a series of back-to-back meetings by six BJP MLAs and one independent legislator with him has fueled political buzz over an impending cabinet expansion in Uttarakhand.
Notably, the expansion of Chief Minister Dhami's cabinet is expected during the upcoming Navratri, and in view of this, several party legislators have intensified their lobbying for a place in the council of ministers, meeting the Chief Minister frequently. With the state assembly elections scheduled for early 2027, the move to expand the cabinet is being seen as part of the larger political strategy.
The Uttarakhand cabinet can have a maximum of twelve ministers, including the Chief Minister. At present, there are only six ministers besides the Chief Minister. In the 70-member state assembly, the BJP holds 47 seats. With talks of expansion gaining momentum, nearly 40 BJP legislators are actively engaged in lobbying for cabinet berths.
Earlier, several MLAs from Uttarakhand, including Sahdev Pundir, Khajan Das, Suresh Chauhan, Bharat Chaudhary, Sanjay Dobhal, Anil Nautiyal, Pritam Panwar, along with other public representatives, paid a courtesy visit to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the Chief Minister's residence on Sunday.
During the meeting, the representatives apprised the Chief Minister of various development-related demands and local issues concerning their respective constituencies, according to the press release from the CMO. The Chief Minister assured them that necessary instructions would be given to the concerned departments for the prompt resolution of these matters.
He emphasised that the state government's goal is to provide citizens with quick and transparent services. He further underlined that the active participation of public representatives would make problem-solving and development initiatives more effective.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister urged the legislators to personally visit the areas recently affected by natural calamities in the state and to assist in ensuring timely relief for the affected families.
He reiterated that the government is committed to providing all possible support to disaster-hit families and will accelerate the pace of relief and rehabilitation efforts.
The Chief Minister also highlighted that the government is consistently working to strengthen basic infrastructure, including road connectivity, healthcare facilities, education, tourism, drinking water, and energy.
He stated that balanced and inclusive development of Uttarakhand is possible only when public representatives actively convey people's expectations to the government and work collectively to ensure the state's progress.