• Corporate
• Markets
• Info-Tech
• Marketing
• Money & Banking
• Agri-Biz & Commodities
• Industry & Economy
• Logistics
• Government
• Opinion
• Variety
• Corporate Results
• Columns
• States
• Web Extras
• Index

• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy
• Books
• Gallery

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

• Rates

• Ports

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Subscription

• Business Line

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• Business Line
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

CHANDIGARH: The 13-day-old Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana was on Saturday expanded with induction of six Cabinet rank ministers and two Ministers of State.

The Cabinet rank ministers sworn in by Governor Mr Jagan Nath Pahadia include five from Congress – Mr Ajay Yadav, Mr Randeep Surjewala, Mr Mahendra Partap Singh, Mr Paramvir Singh and Ms Geeta Bukal.

The other Cabinet minister is Mr Om Parkash Jain, an independent MLA. Both the Ministers of State - Mr Shiv Charan Sharma and Mr Gopal Kanda - are also independent MLAs.

Another independent MLA, Mr Sukhbir Kataria, who was also to be sworn in as Minister of State could not make it to Raj Bhawan for taking oath. He will sworn in later, according to Chief Secretary Ms Urvashi Gulati.

This was the first expansion of the Congress-led ministry which came to power for the second consecutive term with the support of seven Independent MLAs and one from BSP as the party fell six short of majority in the 90-member Assembly.

Since the Cabinet can have a maximum of 13 ministers, the chief minister will administer oath to some MLAs as Parliamentary Secretaries in the rank of the ministers. Since talks with Haryana Janhit Congress-BL leader Mr Kuldeep Bishnoi on joining the gov ernment remained inconclusive, some ministerial slots have been left vacant to accommodate its legislators in case of an agreement. HJC-BL had made its maiden presence in the state assembly with six MLAs.

The party had abstained from voting on the confidence motion sought by Mr Hooda to prove his majority on the floor of the House. - PTI

Prev: NH 23 blocked for second day
Next: Three youths shot dead by Maoists

Copyright copy; 2009, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line