Ashok Gehlot heads 20 depts as wait for cabinet rejig on

JAIPUR: Chief minister Ashok Gehlot is now saddled with nearly 20 departments. Apart from the original 11 departments that were initially with him, he is now being tasked with departments of former ministers Sachin Pilot, Ramesh Meena and Vishvendra Singh who were sacked after they revolted against him.
Besides, the department of social justice and empowerment of ailing minister Master Bhanwarlal Meghwal has not been allotted to any other minister.
This is in sharp contrast to his first tenure when Gehlot was a chief minister without any portfolio.
In his first tenure from 1998-2003, Gehlot was a chief minister without any portfolio. He was not officially holding any department. It was then hailed as his Gandhian approach.
During his second tenure, he was handling the all-important departments of home, finance, personnel, etc, which is almost similar to now. Gehlot had then said he was compelled to handle more departments as he could not find talent within the government to handle such portfolios as many veterans had to bite the dust in the elections.
With the much awaited cabinet reshuffle taking more time than expected, the chief minister is now called upon to keep all these departments till the party high command works out a formula for the ‘rehabilitation’ of the Sachin pilot faction.
Sources said Ajay Maken, who is the new general secretary incharge of the state, had to cut short his last visit due to the demise of former president Pranab Mukherjee.
Maken is again reaching Jaipur on Tuesday and it is likely that he would discuss the issue with the chief minister.
The Sachin Pilot camp is waiting for the decision of the three-member committee constituted by Congress president Sonia Gandhi which restored the stability of the government here. The process would be completed only with accommodation of the MLAs from the Sachin camp in the government and party organisation.