UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s new cabinet has sent across a loud and clear message- the Yogi government will continuously strive to evolve itself. Therefore, despite historic re-election, CM Yogi has dropped 10 prominent names from his cabinet.
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So, there is a mix of some new faces and some prominent old faces in the Yogi cabinet of 18 Ministers. Let’s meet the rejuvenated Yogi cabinet 2.0
Two Deputy Chief Ministers
Just like the previous Yogi cabinet, the new cabinet also has two Deputy Chief Ministers.
Keshav Prasad Maurya has been retained as the Deputy Chief Minister. Dinesh Sharma, the other Deputy Chief Minister, has been replaced by Brajesh Pathak.
Pathak once used to be the Brahmin face of Mayawati-led BSP and was considered close to the BSP supremo. Before the 2017 Assembly polls, he shifted to the BJP and has since risen in stature. He had also served as the Law Minister in the previous Yogi government.
16 other Cabinet Ministers
Apart from the two Deputy Chief Ministers, 16 other cabinet Ministers too have been sworn in. The list includes some notable faces like BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh.
He has played a pivotal role in BJP’s UP poll campaigns. In fact, in 2014, he served as the in-charge of PM Modi’s rallies election rallies in the state.
Another notable face in the Yogi cabinet is A.K. Sharma. He is a retired Gujarat-cadre IAS officer. Sharma is known as a close confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has a long experience of working with the Prime Minister. Sharma was secretary of the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) when PM Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. After PM Modi’s 2014 win, Sharma joined the PMO as Joint Secretary and served with the PMO till April 2020.
And then there are some political heavyweights too like Suresh Khanna, who won his ninth election this time. He has served as a cabinet minister in the first Yogi cabinet also and was allocated crucial finance, parliamentary affairs and medical education portfolios. He led the Yogi government’s fight against COVID-19 and ramped up medical infrastructure in the state on a war-footing.
Surya Pratap Shahi, who had first become a Minister in the Kalyan Singh government in the 1990s has also remained popular in the Yogi government. The veteran leader was made cabinet Minister for agriculture and allied areas in the previous Yogi government. This time around too he has been sworn in as a cabinet minister.
Allocation of portfolios
While the Ministers have been sworn in, the allocation of portfolios could take some time. However, as per News18, the Deputy Chief Ministers could be given development-oriented Ministries. Maurya might therefore retain the public works department (PWD) whereas Pathak could be given the urban development department.
Swatantra Dev Singh is expected to be given the Jal Shakti Ministry, which becomes rather crucial in UP due to the Modi government’s focus on the Namami Gange project.
Meanwhile, A.K. Sharma is expected to be given charge of the health department, while Khanna could be allocated finance and parliamentary affairs portfolios once again. Similarly, Surya Pratap Shahi could retain agriculture, or he may be given charge of sugarcane development.
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The Yogi government is thus all set to power Uttar Pradesh’s development with double-engine growth placing UP on the path of unprecedented development. The Yogi cabinet is rejuvenated and all set to take UP’s glorious growth story forward.