Lucknow, May 10: In a significant move ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expanded his cabinet on Sunday, sending a strong political and social message. Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to six new ministers during a ceremony held at Jan Bhawan, while two state ministers were promoted.
Former BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary was the first to take the oath. Following him, Manoj Pandey, who switched from the Samajwadi Party (SP) to BJP, also took his oath as a minister. Other new ministers include Surendra Diler, Krishna Paswan, Hansraj Vishwakarma, and Kailash Rajput. The government also promoted Ajit Pal and Somendra Tomar to strengthen organizational and regional balance.
After taking the oath, Krishna Paswan stated that under the leadership of PM Modi and CM Yogi, they would work even more efficiently.
This cabinet expansion is viewed as part of the BJP’s strategy for social engineering. The new ministers include one Brahmin, three OBCs, and two Dalit representatives. By including influential Brahmin leader Manoj Pandey in the cabinet, the BJP aims to send a strong message to the Brahmin community. Bhupendra Chaudhary’s appointment is also seen as significant in the context of Western Uttar Pradesh and Jat politics.
Political analysts believe that through this expansion, the BJP is attempting to strengthen social balance, regional representation, and alliances with partner parties ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Previously, the first cabinet expansion of Yogi’s second term occurred on March 5, 2024, just before the Lok Sabha elections, when Om Prakash Rajbhar, Dara Singh Chauhan, Anil Kumar, and Sunil Sharma were inducted into the cabinet.
According to constitutional provisions, the maximum number of ministers in Uttar Pradesh, including the Chief Minister, can be 60. Before this expansion, there were 54 ministers in Yogi’s cabinet, leaving six positions vacant, which have now been filled.
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