Yogi Cabinet Expansion Today: BJP Likely to Induct 6 New Ministers

The second cabinet expansion of Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is going to take place on Sunday. Before the assembly elections to be held next year, BJP is busy solving caste and regional equations. It is believed that six new ministers can be included in this expansion, while some existing ministers of state can be promoted and made cabinet ministers.

Which leaders are being discussed as ministers?

According to sources, Rae Bareli MLA Manoj Pandey and Kaushambi MLA Pooja Pal, who rebelled against SP and supported the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections, may get ministerial posts. Manoj Pandey has already been a minister in the SP government.

Apart from this, the most discussed names include former BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhary, Legislative Council member from Varanasi Hansraj Vishwakarma, Fatehpur MLA Krishna Paswan and Aligarh MLA Surendra Diler.

Why is there so much discussion about Shrikant Sharma's return?

The name of Mathura MLA Shrikant Sharma is once again in discussion. The return of Sharma, who was the Energy Minister in the first term of the Yogi government, to the cabinet is considered almost certain. Apart from this, BJP State General Secretary Govind Narayan Shukla may also get some important responsibility in the government this time.

Which ministers can get promotion?

Some leaders have been working as ministers of state with independent charge for a long time and now they may get the status of full cabinet ministers. Cooperative Minister JPS Rathore, Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi, Horticulture Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh and Social Welfare Minister Aseem Arun are said to be at the forefront of this race.

How much scope is still left in Yogi government?

At present there are a total of 54 ministers including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and both the deputy chief ministers. Only a maximum of 60 ministers can be made in Uttar Pradesh, that is, there is scope for only six. If no sitting minister is removed then the space for new faces will be very limited.

Which caste equations is BJP focusing on?

Caste balance is the biggest problem in this entire cabinet expansion. BJP has 258 MLAs in the assembly, in which the number of OBC and Dalit class is quite large. The party wants that all three classes, OBC, Dalit and upper caste, should get proper representation in the cabinet so that no section is unhappy before the 2027 elections.

What happened in the first expansion two years ago?

The first cabinet expansion of the Yogi government took place before the Lok Sabha elections in March 2024. At that time Om Prakash Rajbhar, Dara Singh Chauhan, Anil Kumar and Sunil Sharma were made cabinet ministers. Even in that expansion, social and regional balance was kept in mind.

What did Akhilesh Yadav taunt?

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav targeted the BJP government over the cabinet expansion. He wrote on social media, “Has the slip arrived from Delhi?” He also raised the demand for reservation for women in the cabinet.