A NOTE ON THE CABINET

Though the overall composition is good in the context of the MLAs but the distribution of ministries leaves something to be desired. It has clear signs of Shivraj Singh trying to assert himself (at times merely for the sake of it) ; the Sangh having its say esp. in getting the shady ministers dropped and a clear imprint of the central body of BJP asserting itself as also political expediency in the wake of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
1. Kailash Vijayvargiya : Giving so many key departments to one person makes little sense. There has been a meek attempt to clip his wings by taking away the lucrative PWD ministry - it is more of a trimming than clipping. Instead , it would've been better if he had been designated as the Deputy CM. Perhaps that may come after the Lok Sabha Elections when some of the ministries would be taken away.
2. Babulal Gaur : He was to be given the upward boot by making him the speaker but the perennial clown managed to land up a ministerial berth- that too of his choice. Perhaps giving the Gas Rehabiltation Deptt. would've been okay but to give Urban administration & Development alongwith is a bit too much. In all likelihood after the lok sabha elections , one of the ministries will be taken away. If he still grumbles- Gaur's burning ambition to establish his daughter -in-law in the political firmament may suffer.
3. Archana Chitnis : She was almost denied the ticket ; by pulling up strings in Delhi she did manage a ticket albeit from a different ( tough) seat. Eventually, she managed to win - that too by a thumping margin. The managers in state BJP were forced to give her a Cabinet berth but not the portfolio she would've been better suited for/ liked ( she's been given school education, higher education & technical education ; she may have been better suited for Women And child welfare).Perhaps after the Lok Sabha elections, the technical education Deptt. may be taken away from her.
4. CM has kept the Narmada valley Deptt. with himself ( It houses the controversial Narmada Samagra Trust). This is all a part of Shivraj's plan to increase his own political ground - by having a complete control over the Bhopal & Narmadapuram divisions. It is in this context that Sartaj Singh was not included in the Cabinet ( And Raghavji rewarded with additional portfolio besides giving the tricket to Sundelal Patwa's nephew). However, the going will not be smooth - Sartaj Singh has already started rumbling and Anil Dave's Narmada Samagra controversy is not going to go away in a while.
5. Harishankar Khatik- Shivraj has made this young first time MLA into a minister to nullify the Uma Bharti factor in Bundelkhand as also due to the caste factor. May lose his job if he fails to deliver in LS elections.
8. Tukoji Rao Pawar- There is much more than what meets the public eye. Not only was the gentleman incompetent in his previous stint but his behaviour resembled that of a small time crook .If he is not cut to size - by dropping him or changing his portfolio , it'll cause continued embarrassment to the CM.
6. Laxmikant Sharma- He would've lost his berth but for the BJP Central leaders' blessings. His stint as the mining minister was scrtachy ; as a PR minister it was OK and as a culture minister ,it was below par. Sharma too will have his department changed based on LS results.
No chief minister ever has the complete control over his entire cabinet but if a substantial chunk of ministers ( Esp. heavyweights ) get the berth against CM's wishes or do not get the ministries of their liking / competence - an undercurrent builds against him and eventually it leads to his downfall . In any case the carrot is still dangling for the remaining ministerial berths after the Lok Sabha Elections. Those who get left out even there will jostle for positions in the party organisational setup. Moreover, by giving ministries to those who quit being MP's will harm the BJP inner party culture in the long run. ( Gaurishanker Bisen has already been sworn in - Sartaj Singh & Neeta Pateriya too may get it later ). After being an MP a person has a certain vision and attitude - which is similar but not the same as an MLA . Thus making him a minister opens up a side route for grabbing a ministerial berth- which is not very healthy.
Meanwhile , I stand by my statement that Shivraj will not last his full term -come what may. For all you know he may have to go only after a year. It'll all depend on whether BJP improves its tally in MP in the LS elections (and also if NDA comes to power ) . If it goes up, Shivraj will try and iron out the wrinkles in his cabinet and also post a team of his handpicked officers. However, if the tally goes down ( which is a likely scenario ), the pulls & pressures in Shivraj's cabinet will sooner or later bring him down.