Diggy’s son is now Nath’s minister

Bhopal: A 28-member-council of ministers of Kamal Nath government was sworn in on Tuesday. Significantly, three factional leaders of Congress in Madhya Pradesh — chief minister Kamal Nath, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and party’s chief whip in Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia — have stamped their authority on ministry formation, if composition of the ministry was any indication.

While Mr Nath had inducted 10 MLAs considered close to him in his ministry, Mr Singh and Mr Scindia have managed to secure ministerial berths for their nine and seven loyalists respectively.

Former MP Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Arun Yadav who had lost to outgoing chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Budhni assembly seat in the recently held polls, could manage to get a ministerial berth for his loyalist MLAs.

The 28-member-council of ministers was sworn-in by MP governor Anandiben Patel in a simple ceremony here in the afternoon.

While Jaivardhan Singh (32), son of former chief minister Digvijay Singh, was the youngest minister in the Kamal Nath cabinet, the 72-year-old chief minister was the eldest member in the ministry.

Mr Nath seemed to have tried his best to maintain regional  and caste balance in formation of his ministry.

Arif Aqueel was the lone Muslim face in the new council of ministers. Aqueel, MLA from Bhopal North, is the first Muslim minister in the state after 15 years. An independent MLA has been inducted in the ministry.