Six Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Manoj Kumar Pandey and Bhupendra Singh, were on Saturday sworn in as ministers in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office at a ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan. Besides Pandey and Singh, Hansraj Vishwakarma, Krishna Paswan, Somendra Tomar and Ajit Singh were also inducted into the council of ministers.
Ahead of the cabinet expansion, Chief Minister Adityanath met Governor Patel at Lok Bhavan in Lucknow to finalise the process.
With the latest inductions, the strength of the Uttar Pradesh council of ministers has increased, filling vacancies that had remained in the cabinet.
Prior to the expansion, the state cabinet comprised 21 ministers, including the chief minister and the two deputy chief ministers.
The cabinet reshuffle comes as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance prepares for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with the party aiming for a third consecutive term in the state.
Welcoming the expansion, state minister Narendra Kashyap said the move reflected the government’s commitment to social balance and inclusive governance.
“It is a noble initiative by the chief minister to ensure representation from all sections of society in line with the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’,” he said.
Another minister, Anil Rajbhar, also termed the expansion timely, noting that several ministerial posts were vacant and the constitutional strength of the council of ministers was yet to be reached.
The new inductees include leaders representing different social groups and regions, a move seen as part of the BJP’s broader political strategy ahead of the next assembly polls.
