Chouhan inducts 23 ministers

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday expanded his ministry with the induction of 19 Cabinet Ministers and four ministers of State.

Mr. Chouhan took oath as the Chief Minister for the third time on December 14, following BJP’s thumping victory in the assembly elections.

The Cabinet Ministers who were sworn in included three women — Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Maya Singh and Kusum Mehdele.

Ms. Mehdele was a minister earlier. She lost in the 2008 assembly elections by a margin of only 47 votes, but this time she was elected for the fifth time.

Ms. Scindia is currently MP from Gwalior. Another Lok Sabha member in the cabinet is Bhupendra Singh (Sagar MP), while Maya Singh is currently a Rajya Sabha member.

Archana Chitnis and Ranjana Baghel, the two women ministers in the previous ministry, were dropped.

Apart from Maya Singh and Bhupendra Singh, the only other new face in the Council of Ministers is Gyan Singh.