The Bharatiya Janata Party high command has reportedly given a green signal for selection of candidates for four seats of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and subsequent expansion of the State Cabinet, if required.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conferred with BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday night and the meeting was attended by BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh, state secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal and BJP national secretary (organisation) BL Santosh.
President of Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) Sanjay Nishad too joined the meeting at a later stage, sparking speculations that the BJP might take a major decision on Nishad.
“Nishad’s presence in the meeting indicates that he might be given an MLC seat and probably a ministerial berth in the Yogi council of Ministers. Though, the next election is just five months away and the expansion has no meaning but it will have an optic value particularly if some marginalised leader gets a Ministerial post,” said a senior BJP leader in Lucknow on Friday.
BJP sources claimed that the expansion of Yogi cabinet was expected next week and the names doing rounds in political circles are Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad, former Union Minister and new entrant into BJP, Jitin Prasada, former UP BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai and Vidya Sonkar.
At present, there are 53 Ministers, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in the State Government. These include 23 Cabinet Ministers, nine ministers of State (independent charge) and 21 Ministers of State. As per norms, 60 Ministers can be appointed and hence there is scope for seven more Ministers to be inducted at present.
The speculation is that of the four new MLCs, one or two could be made ministers.