Adityanath inducts 23 ministers

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath expanded his cabinet for the first time since taking office in March 2017 by inducting 23 ministers, including 18 new faces, on Wednesday.

Governor Anandiben Patel administered oath to six cabinet ministers, six ministers of state (independent charge) and 11 ministers of the state into the state government.

Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh assembly Speaker Hridya Narain Dixit, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and senior administrative and police officers were present at the swearing-in ceremony.

The strength of the cabinet has now gone up to 56. As per rules, there can be 60 ministers.

The expansion followed resignations of five ministers and discussions between the BJP leaders and those of its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on Tuesday.

It was carried out to fill vacancies as well as to reward performances and maintain a regional

and social balance in the state cabinet, according to people aware of developments.

Four ministers of state (independent charge) Mahendra Singh, Suresh Rana, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, and Anil Rajbhar have been given cabinet ranks.

New faces in the cabinet include 10 from western Uttar Pradesh, five from the state’s east, two from the central part and one from the Bundelkhand region. Eight of them belong to Other Backward Classes (OBC), three are Dalits, five Brahmins, and three Vaishyas. In May, vacancies in the ministry went up to 17 after three ministers Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Satyadev Pachauri and SPS Baghel were elected to the Lok Sabha.