Yogi likely to expand Cabinet today
The Yogi Adityanath Cabinet 2.0 is likely to undergo expansion on Sunday evening. The move is seen as a significant political recalibration by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2027 UP Assembly elections.
The last Cabinet expansion of the Yogi Adityanath Government 2.0 was held on March 5, 2024. Four new ministers — Om Prakash Rajbhar (SBSP), Anil Kumar (RLD), Dara Singh Chauhan (BJP) and Sunil Kumar Sharma (BJP) to be were inducted.
The Yogi Adityanath headed Council of Ministers consists of 53 members, including the chief minister, two deputy chief ministers, 16 Cabinet ministers, 14 ministers of State with independent charge, and 20 ministers of State. As per the provisions of the Constitution, there can be 60 ministers in council of ministers or 60 per cent of the strength of the State Assembly.
Following the Lok Sabha elections, Cabinet Minister Jitin Prasada and Minister of State Anoop Pradhan Valmiki — both from UP —were elected as Members of Parliament. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Saturday.
Six ministers are likely to take oath, while the portfolios of several existing ministers could also be reshuffled. According to sources, at least six new faces are being considered for induction into the council of ministers. The names doing the rounds include Bhupendra Chaudhary, Manoj Pandey, Pooja Pal (both rebels from Samajwadi Party) Hansraj Vishwakarma and Krishna Paswan. Sources further indicated that one minister of state with independent charge could be elevated to the rank of Cabinet minister.
The proposed expansion is learnt to have been planned with an eye on the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, with the BJP focusing on caste and regional representation as part of a wider social balancing strategy.
Among the likely entrants is Bhupendra Chaudhary, a Jat OBC leader from Moradabad and former Uttar Pradesh BJP chief who is currently a member of the legislative council (MLC).
Another key name is Manoj Pandey, a Brahmin leader and MLA from Unchahar in Raebareli district who rebelled against the Samajwadi Party before moving closer to the BJP camp.
Pooja Pal, an OBC leader from the Pal community and MLA from Chayal in Kaushambi, is also among the probable inductees. She, too, is a rebel from the Samajwadi Party.
The sources further said Ashok Kataria, a Gurjar OBC leader and MLC from Bijnor, is likely to find a place in the expanded council of ministers.
Two leaders from the Pasi community are also expected to be accommodated. These include Krishna Paswan, an SC leader and MLA from Khaga in Fatehpur, and Suresh Pasi, a Pasi community leader and MLA from Jagdishpur in Amethi.
The development comes at a politically crucial time for the ruling BJP, which is looking to consolidate its social coalition after the setbacks it faced in Uttar Pradesh during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The party is expected to use the cabinet expansion to send a message to key caste groups and regions ahead of the next state election battle.
Yogi Adityanath first became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2017 after the BJP swept the assembly elections, defeating the SP- Congress alliance.
The BJP returned to power again in 2022 under his leadership, defeating the Samajwadi Party-led opposition and making history by becoming the first party in nearly four decades to retain power in Uttar Pradesh consecutively.
In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, the BJP currently has 255 MLAs, while its allies, including the Apna Dal (Sonelal) and NISHAD Party, Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) take the National Democratic Alliance tally comfortably past the majority mark.
The Samajwadi Party remains the principal opposition force in the state assembly.
