The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, expanded its cabinet on Sunday, inducting several new ministers to strengthen the administrative team ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. The oath-taking ceremony took place at Jan Bhavan in Lucknow, where Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to the new ministers.
New Inductees and Portfolio Allocations
Among those sworn in were former Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and BJP leader Manoj Kumar Pandey, who recently joined the party from the Samajwadi Party. Other new ministers include Krishna Paswan, Surendra Diler, Hansraj Vishwakarma, and Kailash Singh Rajput. Additionally, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath elevated Ajit Singh Pal and Somendra Tomar as ministers of state with independent charge.
Political Context and Reactions
The cabinet expansion comes as the state gears up for the 2027 legislative assembly elections, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) aiming for a third consecutive term in power. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Governor Anandiben Patel at Lok Bhavan to finalize the expansion plans.
Akhilesh Yadav's Criticism
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav reacted sharply to the development on X, questioning the selection process and criticizing the political implications. He raised concerns over the limited number of vacancies—only six—compared to the number of leaders who switched parties, and questioned whether all would be accommodated. He also targeted internal BJP dynamics, asking about the fate of long-serving party members who have waited years for ministerial positions but may now be sidelined due to the induction of new entrants.
This marks the second cabinet expansion under the Yogi 2.0 government, following the first expansion in March 2024, nearly two years after the government was formed.
