Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on May 10 expanded his Council of Ministers by inducting six new faces and promoting two Ministers of State.
With a focus on nonYadav Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Castes (SC), while also reaching out to the Brahmin community, the expansion is seen as a strategic move to counter the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) ‘PDA’ outreach, which focuses on consolidating ‘pichda’ (OBC), Dalit, and ‘alpasankhyak’ (minority) voters.
Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office and secrecy at Raj Bhavan in Lucknow. Former Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary was sworn in as a Cabinet minister, underlining his growing influence in western UP and among Jat voters.
Former Samajwadi Party MLA Manoj Pandey, who recently joined the BJP, was also inducted in a move seen as an attempt to strengthen the party’s outreach among Brahmins.
The other leaders inducted into the ministry are Surendra Diler, Krishna Paswan, Hansraj Vishwakarma and Kailash Rajput. Ministers of State Ajit Pal and Somendra Tomar were elevated as part of the reshuffle. With the latest expansion, the strength of the Council of Ministers in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly has reached 60, the maximum permitted strength.
