Dehradun, Aug. 26 -- Political circles in the state are abuzz with talk of a possible expansion to the state cabinet, even as chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Delhi from August 22 to 23, immediately after the premature conclusion of the assembly monsoon session. Addressing reporters after his return, the chief minister said, "You people (media) always have this question. Discussions on the matter are underway. As our party functions in a democratic manner, the high command issues directions on such decisions. A final call will be taken collectively." The current cabinet has five vacancies at the moment. Three have never been filled since the beginning of the BJP's second term in 2022, one was created by the death of Chandan Ram Dass in 2023, and the other through Prem Chand Agarwal's resignation in March this year. "There can be a major overhaul in the cabinet. Among the new faces that are being considered are MLAs Khajan Dass, Madan Kaushik, Pradeep Batra, Vinod Kandari, Bharat Chaudhary, Banshidhar Bhagat, Bishan Singh Chuphal, Ram Singh Kaira, along with a few others," claimed a BJP leader, on condition of anonymity. Currently, Satpal Maharaj, Dhan Singh Rawat, Ganesh Joshi, Subodh Uniyal, Saurabh Bahuguna and Rekha Arya are ministers in the Dhami government. Only two -- Bahuguna and Arya -- are from Kumaon, and the rest from Garhwal. The regional balance will be kept in mind in new inductions ahead of the assembly polls in 2027, people aware of the matter said. Responding to the speculations, state Congress chief spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni said, "These days there is a lot of buzz in the corridors of power in Uttarakhand. It is being said that CM Dhami has hinted at expanding his cabinet. But the real question is....when his own chair is unstable, how can he distribute positions to others?" She further said that filling all five vacant cabinet berths would make no difference, as the current ministers have failed to contribute anything for the state. "Ganesh Joshi is facing an assets misappropriation case, while Subodh Uniyal's department too is mired in corruption charges. As for Rekha Arya's food and supplies department, even ration dealers have not been paid their dues. Every department is drowning in corruption, and the state is battling a financial crisis," she added....