Lucknow: At least 23 MLAs were inducted as ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expanded his cabinet on Wednesday.
Out of the 23, 6 of them have been given the rank of cabinet ministers in the first reshuffle of the present BJP government in the state.
It was earlier reported that at least 24 new ministers would be inducted in the Yogi Adityanath-led government in the state. Out of 24, six would be cabinet rank ministers, while six others will be ministers with independent charge, the sources said.
Remaining 12 will be ministers of state in the Yogi cabinet, they added.
The sources said that the names of new inductees were finalised after hectic deliberations between Yogi Adityanath, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and state BJP organisational secretary Sunil Bansal at the chief minister’s official residence in Lucknow.
The finalised list was sent to the state’s Governor this morning.
Ahead of the cabinet expansion, several senior ministers have resigned to make way for new entrants in the ministry.
Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal had sent his resignation to the Chief Minister on Tuesday afternoon while state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh, who was the Transport Minister, had put in his papers on Monday.
Other ministers who have also put in their papers are Chetan Chauhan, Anupama Jaiswal, Mukut Bihari Verma and Swati Singh though there was no official confirmation of the same yet. Resignations of five Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Ministers – Minister Rajesh Agarwal, Transport Minister Swatantra Dev Singh and other ministers Archana Pandey, Anupama Jaiswal and Dharampal Singh, have been accepted.
Sources said these ministers have been eased out at the instructions of the BJP top brass, owing to poor and average performance in the two-year-plus tenure.
Earlier, the cabinet reshuffle was to take place on Monday but was postponed owing to the critical health of former Union Minister Arun Jaitley.
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