Uttarkhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami expands cabinet, inducts five MLAs

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expanded his cabinet on Friday (March 20, 2026), with five MLAs taking oath as ministers at the Lok Bhavan in Dehradun.

With the induction of the new Ministers — Khazan Das, Bharat Singh Chaudhary, Madan Kaushik, Pradeep Batra, and Ram Singh Kaida — the Uttarakhand cabinet has reached its maximum strength of 12, officials said.

According to constitutional provisions, Uttarakhand can have a maximum of 12 members in the State cabinet.

When the BJP began its second term in Uttarakhand in 2022, Mr. Dhami took the oath of office along with eight ministers.

The cabinet’s strength came down to eight after the death of Social Welfare and Transport Minister Chandan Ramdas in April 2023. It further came down to seven last year after the resignation of Prem Chand Agarwal, who was in charge of Parliamentary Affairs and Finance.