Lucknow: Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has attempted to strike a caste balance through a long awaited expansion of his cabinet.
At a swearing-in ceremony held at the governor’s house in Lucknow on Sunday, six leaders took oath as ministers while two leaders were promoted and assigned new responsibilities. Special emphasis was placed on maintaining social and regional balance in the cabinet expansion.
The leaders who took the oath included Bhupendra Chaudhary, Manoj Pandey, Ajit Pal, Somendra Tomar, Krishna Paswan, Surendra Diler, Hansraj Vishwakarma and Kailash Rajput. Among them, Surender diler, Krishna paswan, Hansraj Vishwakarma and Kailash Rajput were inducted as Ministers of State, while the other leaders were given Cabinet and independent charge responsibilities. Another rebel SP MLA, Pooja Pal, was also expecting a call for the oath ceremony, but she was not considered in this cabinet expansion.
With the latest expansion, the 60 member council of ministers now includes 25 OBC ministers, 21 from upper castes, 12 Dalits, one Sikh and one Muslim minister.
By giving representation to leaders from western Uttar Pradesh, Bundelkhand, and Purvanchal, the party has tried to strike a broader social balance also.
Among the new faces sworn in on Sunday were:
Bhupendra Chaudhary
Former Uttar Pradesh BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary has held several organisational positions ranging from district president and regional president of western Uttar Pradesh to state BJP chief. He had also served as a minister in the Yogi government earlier and has now once again took oath as a Cabinet Minister.
Manoj Pandey
Rebel SP MLA Manoj Pandey represents the Unchahar Assembly seat in Rae Bareli. He previously served as a Cabinet Minister in the Samajwadi Party government. Pandey rebelled against the SP during the Rajya Sabha elections and later joined the BJP, which had promised him a ministerial berth. He has now been inducted as a Cabinet Minister.
Kailash Rajput
Kailash Rajput, an MLA from the Tirwa Assembly seat in Kannauj, has been made a Minister of State. Rajput, a leader from the Lodhi community, comes from the parliamentary constituency represented by Akhilesh Yadav. With his induction, Kannauj now has two ministers in the Yogi government. The move also comes after the BJP suffered setbacks among Lodhi voters in parts of central Uttar Pradesh during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Hansraj Vishwakarma
Former Varanasi district BJP president Hansraj Vishwakarma has been inducted as a Minister of State. He belongs to the OBC Vishwakarma community and comes from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency. With his induction, Varanasi now has four ministers in the state government.
Surendra Diler
Surendra Diler, MLA from the Khair Assembly seat in Aligarh, took oath as a Minister of State. He belongs to the Valmiki community within the Dalit social group. Through his induction, the BJP appears to be seeking to strengthen its outreach among Dalit voters.
Krishna Paswan
Krishna Paswan, MLA from the Khaga Assembly seat in Fatehpur district, also took oath as a Minister of State. Paswan’s induction, as a woman leader from the Dalit Pasi community, comes amid indications that a section of Pasi voters shifted towards the Samajwadi Party during the 2024 elections.
Ajit Pal and Somendra Tomar have been elevated from Ministers of State to Ministers with Independent Charge. Tomar, MLA from Meerut South, currently serves as Minister of State for Energy and is considered close to Bhupendra Chaudhary. He belongs to the Gurjar community. Portfolios for the newly inducted ministers are expected to be announced later.