Cabinet reshuffle likely in UP soon

Lucknow, June 27 (IANS) The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is preparing for a major cabinet reshuffle, the first since its formation in March 2017.

At present, there are 43 members in the Adityanath government, which leaves a vacancy of 17 members.

Three ministers in the government have been elected to the Lok Sabha. They are Rita Bahuguna Joshi, S.P. Singh Baghel and Satyadev Pachauri while Om Prakash Rajbhar of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) was dismissed from the Council of Ministers last month.

According to sources, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) performance in constituencies of the Ministers will be a major deciding factor in the reshuffle.

The sources said that the Chief Minister has already worked out the modalities of the cabinet reshuffle after consulting BJP President and Union Minister Amit Shah during his last visit to Delhi.

"Some of the Ministers whose performance has been below average could be removed and given responsibilities in the party organization. We are gearing up for the next assembly elections in 2022 and need to focus on performance," said a senior party functionary.

The portfolios of some Ministers might also be changed.

The state BJP unit is set to get a new President since the incumbent Mahendra Nath Pandey is a Minister in the Narendra Modi government. If a Minister in the Adityanath government gets appointed as state President, then that will mean an additional vacancy in the Council of Ministers.

The BJP is also focusing on increasing the participation of Dalits and OBCs, particularly the Yadavs and Jatavs, the legislators from these communities could be included in the ministry.

Apna Dal President Ashish Patel is likely to be given a ministerial position.

However, the date of the cabinet reshuffle is yet undecided though it is said that the exercise will take place before July 18 when the monsoon session of the state Assembly begins.