Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav expanded his cabinet for the seventh and probably the last time before the 2017 Assembly polls by droping a minister and inducting five new faces.
Governor Ram Naik administered the oath to all the ministers at a simple function at Raj Bhawan on Monday morning.
Three ministers – Balram Singh Yadav, Narad Rai and Ziauddin Rizvi – got the cabinet rank while two Ravidas Mehrotra and Sharda Pratap Shukla - both from lucknow, were administered the oath of office as Minister of State (Independent charge).
Ziauddin Rizvi could not take oath as he was out of the country for Umra. He will take oath on July 10 or 11, government sources said.
Incidentally, Balram Yadav and Narad Rai were both ministers in the SP government but were dropped for variied reasons.
Balram Yadav was unceremoniously sacked from the cabinet six days back after the merger of Qaumi Ekta Dal with Samajwadi Party and the CM felt that Yadav was instrumental in the process.
On Monday, when Yadav went to take oath, he had a very little eye contact with the CM who was sitting on the dias with the Governor. After taking oath, he shook hands with the Governor and then with the CM and went to the desk to sign the register. There seemed no thaw in relations between the CM and him which was visible as he returned to his seat .
“I am happy to be back in cabinet. I am not angry … not at all. Why should I be IJ,” Balram Yadav told ‘The Pioneer’. “The CM dropped me and then took me back. It is his prerogative,” he said in a terse voice
Narad Rai, who returned to the cabinet after almost a year after being dropped for non-performance, was grinning ear to ear.
“What to say … I am very, very happy. The CM has given me an opportunity to serve the people and I will do my best,” he said.
Insiders said that Rai was lucky to be back. A senior member of the Yadav family wanted Rai to be in the cabinet so last minute adjustments were made by dropping Science and Environment minister Manoj Pandey.
There were only four vacancies in the cabinet as in 403-member House, the government could have only 60 ministers. The CM had to drop a minister to accommodate five new faces.
“Manoj Pandey was informed at 9.30 am about his ouster from the cabinet. The poor chap could not reconcile what exactly stuck him. The CM has said that he will convince Pandey. let’s see what happens,” a senior leader said.
Eye brows were raised over Ravidas Mehrotra’s induction as he had unfurled a banner of revolt against the Akhilesh Yadav government. There was rumour that he might join the BJP. “To prevent this revolt, he was given a place in the cabinet,” a senior leaer said.
SP chief Muluyam Singh Yadav, Rajya Sabha members Ram Gopal Yadav, Amar Singh and several ministers were present at the function. PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and Minority Welfare minister Mohammad Azam Khan were conspicuous with their absence.
This was the seventh expansion of the Akhilesh Yadav government and the last such move was done on October 31, 2015.