Hooda ministry expanded in Haryana

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

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

The other Cabinet minister is Om Parkash Jain, an independent MLA.

Both the Ministers of State -- Shiv Charan Sharma and Gopal Kanda -- are also independents MLAs.  Another independent MLA, 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 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 Kuldeep Bishnoi on joining the government 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 Hooda to prove his majority on the floor of the House.