Lucknow:
Chief Minister Yogi Aditayanath’s Uttar Pradesh government carried out its first cabinet expansion today, more than two years after the BJP took charge of the state. A total of 23 ministers – six cabinet ministers, six ministers of state (with independent charge) and 11 state ministers – were administered their oaths by UP Governor Anandiben Patel at the Raj Bhavan in Lucknow.
Among those sworn in was Suresh Rana, 49, a two time MLA from the Thana Bhawan seat in western UP, who has been given a cabinet minister post. Suresh Rana, whose name figures in criminal cases relating to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, in which more than 60 people died, faces charges related to promoting enmity on religious grounds.
Government sources say Suresh Rana was rewarded for work done as minister of state in-charge of sugarcane, during which time he was pro-active in trying to clear thousands of crores of farmers’ dues.
Another interesting choice is Sri Ram Chauhan, 65, a former Lok Sabha MP and minister in the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The MLA from the Dhanghata Assembly segment, Sri Ram Chauhan has been handed a minister of state (independent) charge.
Equally interesting is the fact that of the 23 ministers sworn in, only two are women. Six of the 23 are Brahmins, with two each from the Thakur and Vaishya communities and 10 from OBCs.
The allocation of portfolios will happen at a later date.
Finance Minister and veteran BJP leader Rajesh Agarwal, 76, resigned from his post on Tuesday, citing his age.
Sources add that at least six other ministers had been asked to resign by the Chief Minister, for reasons ranging from non-performance to allegations of corruption. Significantly though, many of those sworn in today have little or no administrative experience.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended a RSS coordination committee meeting in Lucknow on Tuesday night.
Sources have also said the cabinet reshuffle has been carried out with one eye on Assembly polls, although that is still three years away. The BJP swept to power in the state with a commanding mandate in 2017 polls, winning 325 of 403 seats.
With inputs from IANS
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