U.P. gets 4 new ministers in Yogi 2.0’s first expansion

SBSP chief Rajbhar, RLD’s Anil Kumar, Dara Singh and Sunil Kumar Sharma of BJP get ministerial berths

Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath carried out the much awaited first cabinet expansion of his 2.0 ministry inducting four cabinet ministers, including two from the NDA’s alliance partners.

The newly inducted ministers with UP governor Anandiben Patel and CM Yogi Adityanath at Raj Bhavan on March 5. (Deepak Gupta/HT)

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal now have representations in the expanded Yogi ministry. Two BJP leaders have also been given ministerial berths. Those inducted include SBSP chief and Zahoorabad (Ghazipur) MLA Om Prakash Rajbhar, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Purqazi (Muzaffarnagar) MLA Anil Kumar, BJP MLC Dara Singh Chauhan and BJP MLA from Sahibabad Sunil Kumar Sharma.

Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers in the presence of the chief minister, his ministerial colleagues, senior BJP leaders and senior administrative and police officers at the Gandhi Sabhagar of Raj Bhavan here.

The Yogi ministry’s expansion also reflects on balancing caste and regional factors. Two new ministers Rajbhar (SBSP) and Chauhan (BJP) coming from the most backward classes are from eastern Uttar Pradesh while other two Kumar (RLD), a Dalit, and Sharma (BJP), an upper caste, are from western Uttar Pradesh.

With Tuesday’s expansion, the strength of the Yogi ministry has swelled from 52 to 56 ministers now against the permissible strength of 60. The Yogi ministry now has 22 cabinet ministers, 14 ministers of state (independent charge) and 20 ministers of state. There are still four vacancies.

After contesting the 2022 UP assembly election as an ally of the Samajwadi Party, the SBSP switched over to the NDA camp in July 2023 and speculations about Rajbhar’s likely induction in the ministry have been making rounds since then. Dara Singh Chauhan, who also resigned as SP MLA to join the BJP in July 2023, lost the Ghosi by-election as the BJP candidate in September 2023 despite intensive campaigning by Rajbhar.

Later, the BJP accommodated him in the upper house and apparently assured him a ministerial berth. RLD MLA Anil Kumar has been inducted to represent his party in the Yogi ministry following the RLD’s move to join the NDA early this month.

BJP workers shouted Jai Sri Ram, Vande Matram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai soon after the brief swearing-in ceremony that lasted nearly 12 minutes.