MP: CM Shivraj Chouhan gives charge to three newly appointed ministers after cabinet expansion

New Delhi: With elections scheduled for later this year in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday gave the charge to the three newly appointed ministers in the cabinet expansion. 

Rewa MLA Rajendra Shukla, Balaghat MLA Gauri Shankar Bisen, and Khargapur MLA Rahul Singh Lodhi were given the charge. 
CM Chouhan gave the charge of Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) to Gauri Shankar Bisen, Rajendra Shukla took the charge of Public Health Engineering and Public Relations and Rahul Lodhi (Minister of State) Cottage and Village Industries (Independent Charge) and Forest. 
Earlier on August 26, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has expanded his cabinet. The chief minister included three more MLAs in his cabinet on Saturday. These three MLAs took the ministerial oath today at a function in the Raj Bhavan.

Prior to this expansion, the state ministry had 31 members, including the CM. As per constitutional norms, the number can go up to 35, which is 15 per cent of the strength of the MP assembly which has 230 members. The last expansion of Shivraj Chouhan's cabinet took place in January 2021.
The MP Chief Minister who is serving his fourth term as Chief Minister and is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is looking to balance caste equations and address regional aspirations with this expansion ahead of the State polls.

Rajendra Shukla, a 4 time MLA from Rewa Constituency in the Vindh region is one of the new ministers. Shukla earlier served as the minister of Commerce in the Madhya Pradesh Government.
Gaurishankar Bisen a Rajput leader from Balaghar Constituency Mahakoshal region who had earlier served under Shivraj Chouhan as a minister is the second new name in the cabinet.
OBC leader Rahul Lodhi from Kharagpur has also been included in Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet, OBCs form nearly 40 per cent of the state's population. He was elected to the Damoh Constituency in a by-poll in May 2021.

Madhya Pradesh is among the five states where assembly elections are to be held later this year to elect 230 members of the state.
Recently, the BJP released its first list of 39 candidates for the 230-seat state assembly. After which the prominent leaders seeking tickets from the party have intensified their preparations to showcase their hold in their respective constituencies.
In the 2018 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 114 seats and BJP got 109 seats.