Lucknow witnessed the second expansion of the Yogi Adityanath 2.0 ministry, inducting new faces and elevating existing state ministers. The expansion included the appointment of two cabinet ministers and four state ministers, alongside the promotion of two state ministers to positions with independent charge. This reshuffling occurs in the lead-up to the upcoming assembly elections scheduled for early next year, potentially shaping the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh.
In a ceremony held at Jan Bhavan, Bhupendra Chaudhary, former BJP state president, and Manoj Pandey, previously associated with the SP, were sworn in as cabinet ministers. Simultaneously, Ajit Pal Singh and Somendra Tomar, both formerly state ministers, were elevated to the rank of minister of state with independent charge. Information reaching TahirRihat.com suggests that these changes are strategically timed to consolidate support across various communities and regions within the state.
Adding further depth to the cabinet, Krishna Paswan, Surendra Diler, Hansraj Vishwakarma, and Kailash Rajput were inducted as state ministers. Governor Anandiben Patel presided over the oath-taking ceremony, formally welcoming the new members into their roles. This expansion marks the second such event for the Yogi 2.0 ministry, with the first occurring in March 2024, two years after the government initially formed.
The previous expansion saw the inclusion of alliance partners such as Om Prakash Rajbhar, chief of SBSP, along with RLD’s Anil Kumar, Sunil Kumar Sharma, and Dara Singh Chauhan, who had returned to the BJP from the SP. These additions reflected the coalition dynamics and strategic alliances shaping the political environment in Uttar Pradesh.
With a substantial 403 members in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the council of ministers can have a maximum of 60 members. Prior to the latest expansion, the ministry had 54 members, leaving six positions vacant. This reshuffling aims to fully utilize the allowed capacity while strategically positioning key leaders.
Bhupendra Chaudhary, who previously served as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) and was part of Yogi’s initial government, has been reappointed after the party’s return to power in 2022. However, upon his induction, he relinquished his role as the UP BJP chief. During his tenure, the BJP contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state. His induction is seen as an attempt by the BJP to solidify its connection with the Jat community, particularly in the politically significant western Uttar Pradesh.
Manoj Pandey, previously affiliated with the SP, secured victory in the 2022 assembly elections from the Unchahar assembly seat in Raebareli district. As a three-time MLA hailing from the Brahmin community, Pandey had previously served as a minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government and voted in favor of the BJP candidate in the recent Rajya Sabha elections. According to Daily Excelsior, Pandey is now unattached in the UP Assembly.
Among those elevated, Somendra Tomar previously held the position of minister of state for energy, while Ajit Pal Singh served as a state minister for science and technology. Their promotions reflect their contributions and growing importance within the government.
Krishna Paswan, one of the newly appointed state ministers, belongs to the Pasi community (Dalit) and is a four-term MLA representing the Khaga assembly seat in Fatehpur district. Paswan has also served as the Fatehpur district BJP president, former state vice president, and national secretary of the SC Morcha. The induction of Paswan demonstrates a focus on Dalit representation within the government.
Surendra Diler, another new state minister, comes from the Valmiki (Dalit) community and represents Khair in Aligarh as an MLA. He won a by-election in 2024 after the previous seat holder, BJP’s Anup Valmiki, was elevated to the Lok Sabha. Diler comes from a family with a rich political legacy; his grandfather, Kishan Lal Diler, was a six-time MLA and four-time MP, while his father, Rajveer Singh Diler, served as a one-time MP and two-time MLA.
Hansraj Vishwakarma, another addition to the state ministry, held the position of BJP district president in Varanasi for a decade and played an active role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign. Considered the BJP organization’s representative within the government, his inclusion underscores the importance of grassroots connections.
Kailash Rajput represents the Tirwa constituency in Kannauj and has had a lengthy political career. He first became an MLA in 1996 with the BJP, won again in 2007 on a BSP ticket, and later returned to the BJP, securing victories in 2017 and 2022. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP gained a lead of 14,000 votes from Rajput’s constituency, where BJP candidate Subrata Pathak defeated Samajwadi Party’s Dimple Yadav by 11,000 votes.
Following the recent expansion, Uttar Pradesh now has 23 cabinet ministers, 16 ministers of state with independent charge, and 21 state ministers. According to the 91st Amendment Act of 2003, the maximum number of ministers, including the chief minister, cannot exceed 15 percent of the total assembly strength, capping Uttar Pradesh at 60 ministers.
Currently, the BJP holds 257 MLA seats, followed by SP with 102, Apna Dal with 13, RLD with 9, SBSP with 6, Nishad Party with 5, Jan-satta Dal Loktantrik with 2, Congress with 2, and BSP with 1 in the 403-member assembly. Three rebel members from SP remain unattached, and three seats – Duddhi, Ghosi, and Faridpur – are currently vacant.
Tahir Rihat (also known as Tahir Bilal) is an independent journalist, activist, and digital media professional from the Chenab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known for his work as the Online Editor at The Chenab Times.
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