Six Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including Manoj Kumar Pandey and Bhupendra Singh, were on Saturday sworn in as ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, taking the council’s strength to 27.
The oath of office was administered by Governor Anandiben Patel at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan. Alongside Pandey and Singh, the other inductees were Hansraj Vishwakarma, Krishna Paswan, Somendra Tomar and Ajit Singh.
The cabinet expansion comes days after Adityanath met the Governor at Lok Bhavan to finalise the process. With the latest inductions, vacancies in the council of ministers have been filled, strengthening the state government’s administrative set-up.
Prior to the expansion, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet comprised 21 ministers, including the Chief Minister and two Deputy Chief Ministers. The addition of six new ministers raises the total to 27, still below the constitutionally permitted maximum strength.
Also read: UP Cabinet expansion on cards; CM Yogi meets Guv Anandiben Patel
The move is being viewed as part of the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s broader political strategy ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where the party will aim for a third consecutive term in power.
Welcoming the expansion, state minister Narendra Kashyap said it reflected the government’s commitment to social balance and inclusive governance.
“It is a noble initiative by the chief minister to ensure representation from all sections of society in line with the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’,” he said.
Another minister, Anil Rajbhar, described the expansion as timely, noting that several ministerial positions had remained vacant and the council had not reached its full permissible strength.
The newly inducted ministers are seen as representing a mix of regions and social groups, signalling an effort by the BJP leadership to consolidate its support base across the state ahead of the next electoral cycle.
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