UP BJP ex-chief among six join Yogi Cabinet ahead of state poll
The Uttar Pradesh state Cabinet underwent a long-awaited expansion on Sunday, with six key figures inducted into the Yogi Adityanath-led government.
The number of ministers in the state Cabinet has now increased from 54, including the Chief Minister, to 60 — the constitutional upper limit.
Among the new inductees are former BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and Hansraj Vishwakarma, an OBC leader. Vishwakarma played a significant role in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha election campaigns, earning mention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kailash Singh Rajput, a second-term BJP MLA from Tirwa in Kannauj, is another newly inducted minister.
With state elections slated for next year, the reshuffle reflects the BJP’s strategy to broaden its social and regional base. The decision followed the conclusion of Assembly elections in four states and the swearing-in of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday, which CM Adityanath attended.
Reports indicate that the BJP’s central leadership approved the expansion. Sanjay Prasad, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, and the State Information Department, confirmed that the swearing-in ceremony began at 3 pm at Jan Bhavan in Lucknow.
AK Sharma, a close aide of PM Modi, was removed following a controversy over smart prepaid power meters, which led to inflated electricity bills and subsequent withdrawal by the state government.
Surendra Diler, BJP MLA from the Khair Assembly constituency in Aligarh, hails from an influential political family. His induction into the Cabinet ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections is being seen as an attempt to strengthen the BJP’s outreach to the Valmiki community.
Krishna Paswan is the only woman inducted in the Cabinet expansion and is considered an important Scheduled Caste face for the BJP. She was first elected as a BJP MLA from the Kisunpur Assembly constituency in 2007, the year the BSP formed the government in the state.
Manoj Kumar Pandey, a three-time SP MLA from the Unchahar Assembly constituency and once considered close to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, has also been inducted as a minister.
