NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath expanded his cabinet on Tuesday, marking the first expansion in his second term. The induction saw two new faces from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), and another from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP).
Notable additions to the cabinet include Dara Singh Chauhan, a BJP leader who rejoined the party after a stint with the Samajwadi Party last year, and Sunil Kumar Sharma, BJP MLA from Sahibabad.Alongside them, Anil Kumar, RLD MLA from Purkazi in Muzaffarnagar, and SBSP Chief OP Rajbhar also took the oath as miniters this evening. Notably, RLD, earlier in February, joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls BJP decided to confer Bharat Ratna on former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
The cabinet expansion, witnessed by Governor Anandiben Patel and CM Yogi Adityanath, was met with congratulatory messages for the newly sworn-in ministers. The move aims to enhance the BJP’s influence in various regions of the state in preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
After taking oath as a minister in the UP cabinet, BJP’s Sunil Kumar Sharma said, “The responsibility that has been given to me by the Chief Minister and the party will be carried out responsibly. I will do what I learnt while being in the party…In Lok Sabha elections, we will win all 80 seats this time…”
The current Uttar Pradesh council of ministers now boasts 52 members, including 18 cabinet ministers, 14 ministers of state (independent charge), and 20 ministers of state.
This political development follows RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary’s recent meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda, formally cementing RLD’s alliance with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). RLD has already declared its candidates for the upcoming general elections in Bijnor and Baghpat.
Chandan Chauhan, an incumbent MLA from Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar, is set to contest from Bijnor, while Dr Rajkumar Sangwan, a senior RLD leader, will vie for the Baghpat Lok Sabha seat.
Dara Singh Chauhan, who lost the Ghosi assembly bye-election last year after returning to the BJP, secured a victory by being elected to the UP Legislative Council in January.
Sunil Kumar Sharma is the BJP MLA from Sahibabad assembly constituency in Ghaziabad district.
Similarly, OP Rajbhar rejoined the BJP-led NDA in 2023, marking a significant return to the political landscape. While Rajbhar represents the Zahoorabad assembly constituency of the Ghazipur district, Anil Kumar is an MLA from Purkazi (SC) in Muzaffarnagar.
The expansion is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to consolidate its position in several regions of the state ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party are now a part of the ruling NDA.
(With inputs from agencies)
Notable additions to the cabinet include Dara Singh Chauhan, a BJP leader who rejoined the party after a stint with the Samajwadi Party last year, and Sunil Kumar Sharma, BJP MLA from Sahibabad.Alongside them, Anil Kumar, RLD MLA from Purkazi in Muzaffarnagar, and SBSP Chief OP Rajbhar also took the oath as miniters this evening. Notably, RLD, earlier in February, joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls BJP decided to confer Bharat Ratna on former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
The cabinet expansion, witnessed by Governor Anandiben Patel and CM Yogi Adityanath, was met with congratulatory messages for the newly sworn-in ministers. The move aims to enhance the BJP’s influence in various regions of the state in preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
After taking oath as a minister in the UP cabinet, BJP’s Sunil Kumar Sharma said, “The responsibility that has been given to me by the Chief Minister and the party will be carried out responsibly. I will do what I learnt while being in the party…In Lok Sabha elections, we will win all 80 seats this time…”
The current Uttar Pradesh council of ministers now boasts 52 members, including 18 cabinet ministers, 14 ministers of state (independent charge), and 20 ministers of state.
This political development follows RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary’s recent meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda, formally cementing RLD’s alliance with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). RLD has already declared its candidates for the upcoming general elections in Bijnor and Baghpat.
Chandan Chauhan, an incumbent MLA from Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar, is set to contest from Bijnor, while Dr Rajkumar Sangwan, a senior RLD leader, will vie for the Baghpat Lok Sabha seat.
Dara Singh Chauhan, who lost the Ghosi assembly bye-election last year after returning to the BJP, secured a victory by being elected to the UP Legislative Council in January.
Sunil Kumar Sharma is the BJP MLA from Sahibabad assembly constituency in Ghaziabad district.
Similarly, OP Rajbhar rejoined the BJP-led NDA in 2023, marking a significant return to the political landscape. While Rajbhar represents the Zahoorabad assembly constituency of the Ghazipur district, Anil Kumar is an MLA from Purkazi (SC) in Muzaffarnagar.
The expansion is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to consolidate its position in several regions of the state ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party are now a part of the ruling NDA.
(With inputs from agencies)
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