Vasundhara Raje inducts 12 ministers

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Friday expanded her cabinet, inducting nine cabinet ministers and three ministers of state.

Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 12 ministers.

The cabinet ministers are Gulab Chand Kataria, Rajendra Singh Rathore, Kalicharan Saraf, Kailash Meghwal, Sanwarlal Jat, Prabhulal Saini, Gajendra Singh Khimsar, Yunus Khan, and Nandlal Meena. Arun Chaturvedi, Ajay Singh and Hem Singh Bhadana are ministers of state.

Rathore is considered a Raje loyalist, while Kataria is a senior leader in the state BJP unit.

Portfolios are expected to be allocated to the new ministers either Friday night or in the next couple of days, sources close to Raje told IANS.

Vasundhara Raje was sworn in as Rajasthan chief minister Dec 13 for the second time after the BJP wrested the state from the Congress in the state assembly polls, winning 163 seats in the 200-member house.