Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia sprung a surprise by deserting his party to become a Cabinet Minister in the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party Government in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.
The sudden decision of the 74-year-old Ramoowalia, who has had stint with different parties during his long political career, took the Akalis by surprise.
Ramoowalia, a former Union Minister, said he has resigned from the SAD and forwarded his resignation to the party chief. SAD, however, said it was yet to receive the resignation of Ramoowalia, who was party's senior vice-president.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday undertook the fifth expansion of his Council of Ministers. The expansion saw 21 Ministers — including 12 new faces — being administered oath by Governor Ram Naik. Among others, Bansidhar Baudh, who joined the SP from the BSP last year and won from Balha, was inducted as Minister of State.
With several Ministers facing accusations of inefficiency, Akhilesh Yadav had on Thursday sacked eight Ministers and stripped nine others of their portfolios. None of the axed Ministers were rehabilitated on Saturday though some of them had approached party supremo Mulayam.
The biggest revamp exercise has been done as the ruling party focuses on a massive image makeover with an eye on the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections after it got wiped out in the heat of Modi wave in the lS polls last year.