On Wednesday, three BJP MLAs joined the cabinet of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, increasing its size to 14, a historic high for the state, which typically maintained a 13-member cabinet. At a ceremony in the Raj Bhavan, Governor Ramen Deka administered the oath of office and secrecy to first-time MLAs Rajesh Agrawal, Guru Khushwant Saheb, and Gajendra Yadav. Governor Ramen Deka administered the oath of office and secrecy to BJP legislators Rajesh Agrawal, Guru Khushwant Saheb and Gajendra Yadav, all first-time MLAs, at a function held in the Raj Bhavan here.

The portfolios for the newly appointed ministers have not yet been disclosed. Chief Minister Sai, Assembly Speaker Raman Singh, state ministers, and other leaders were present at the ceremony. Since Chhattisgarh’s formation in 2000, with its 90-member assembly, the cabinet has traditionally consisted of 13 MLAs, including the chief minister. Prior to this expansion, the Chhattisgarh cabinet comprised 11 members, including CM Sai.

Chhattisgarh has followed the “Haryana model,” with 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister, serving in its 90-member assembly, as per sources.Constitutional rules permit a state’s Council of Ministers, including the CM, to be no larger than 15 percent of the assembly’s total strength.For Chhattisgarh’s 90-member assembly, this limit calculates to 13.5, allowing for 14 cabinet members.The expanded cabinet balances caste and regional representation.Among the three newly inducted ministers, Yadav belongs to the Other Backward Classes (OBC), Saheb to the Scheduled Caste, and Agrawal to the general category.