Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, is poised to enlarge his Cabinet today, welcoming at least four new ministers. The impending induction coincides closely with the imminent announcement of the Lok Sabha election dates.
Among those slated for induction are OP Rajbhar, leader of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP); Anil Kumar from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD); and two members from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – Dara Singh Chauhan and Sunil Sharma, as per insider information. Sunil Sharma’s decisive victories in the Sahibabad constituency of Ghaziabad during the 2017 and 2022 UP polls highlight his political prowess.
OP Rajbhar’s potential return to the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet marks a significant development five years after his departure from the BJP and subsequent resignation from the government. Anil Kumar, hailing from West Uttar Pradesh, represents the RLD, which recently shifted alliances from the INDIA bloc to the NDA.
Sources indicate that UP Governor Anandiben Patel is expected to administer the oath of office to the new ministers by Tuesday evening. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath convened a cabinet meeting.
The BJP’s central leadership confirmed the names of the new ministers during a recent meeting in the national capital. However, the announcement was delayed due to the BJP’s initial release of Lok Sabha candidate lists over the weekend. Speculation about the cabinet expansion had been rife since Samajwadi Party legislator Dara Singh Chauhan defected and contested the by-poll from Ghosi on a BJP ticket. Despite Chauhan’s electoral defeat, his subsequent appointment as an MLC from the BJP quota in January paved his way into the UP government’s council of ministers.
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