Shimla: Seven new Congress legislators took oath as ministers in the Himachal Pradesh government on Sunday.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oaths in a ceremony at the Raj Bhawan.

Former chief minister Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh, two-time former minister and member of Assembly Col Dhani Ram Shandil from Solan Constituency, former minister, MLA from Jawali Kangra and former MP Chander Kumar took the oath.

Also, five-time MLA from Kinnaur and former Deputy Speaker Jagat Singh Negi, five-time Member of Assembly from Jubbal Kotkhai and grandson of former CM Thakur Ram Lal Rohit Thakur, three-time MLA from Kasumpti Assembly Anirudh Singh and six-time MLA Harshvardhan Chauhan from Shillai in Sirmaur were administered the oath.

Now, three posts are still left vacant in the Cabinet.

Six MLAs were inducted first time as ministers.

At today’s oath-taking ceremony, no ministers were inducted from Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Mandi Lahaul-Spiti district and Kullu districts.

Including the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, the total number of ministers increased to nine.

Before the swearing ceremony of the new Cabinet, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also administered oath to six Chief Parliamentary Secretaries.

Ram Kumar and Sanjay Awasthi from Solan district, Mohan Lal Brakta from Shimla, Sunder Singh Thakur from Kullu, Kishori Lal and Ashish Butail from Jangra district took oath as Chief Parliamentary Secretaries.

(With UNI inputs)