UP cabinet expanded: Bhupendra Chaudhary, Manoj Pandey sworn in as ministers in Yogi government.

Government of Uttar Pradesh led by Chief Minister Yogi AdityanathThe Cabinet on Sunday was expanded with the appointment of several new ministers and strengthening the administrative team at Lucknow’s Jan Bhavan ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.Former Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhry and BJP leader Manoj Kumar Pandey were sworn in as state cabinet ministers. Manoj Pandey recently joined the BJP from the Samajwadi Party before joining the party.Krishna Paswan was also sworn in as ministers along with Surendra Diler, Hansraj Vishwakarma and Kailash Singh Rajput.

Besides expanding his team, Chief Minister Yogi also appointed Ajit Singh Pal and Somendra Tomar as ministers of state with independent charge.They were sworn in by Governor Anandiben Patel.Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel at Lok Bhavan ahead of the cabinet expansion.The expansion comes as the state prepares for the 2027 Legislative Assembly elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) aiming to rule for a third consecutive term.Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had reacted to X’s developments earlier in the day, questioning the electoral process and criticizing the political implications of the cabinet expansion. He expressed concern over the limited number of vacancies and the incorporation of leaders who had recently changed parties, while also targeting the governance issues of the BJP.

Responding to the BJP’s decision, he wrote: “There are only 6 vacancies in the UP cabinet, but more people have jumped ship from other parties – will they all get ministerial posts?”He further questioned the selection criteria within the ruling party, asking: “Will the weakest among them be selected, thereby mitigating their weaknesses?” He also raised concerns about representation, saying: “If one is elected from among multiple MLAs from a community, what is the basis for the selection?”Akhilesh Yadav further criticized the future of the leader who recently switched to the BJP but may not find a place in the cabinet. “What will happen to those who switched parties? Will their neglect and humiliation be assuaged by some concessions?” he asked, adding, “Won’t those who remain left out feel completely cheated?”He also took aim at intra-party dynamics, referring to the long-pending aspirations within the BJP, asking what will happen to those who “waited for years” to become ministers but may now be sidelined due to new entrants in office.This is the second cabinet expansion since the Yogi 2.0 government came to power. The latest reshuffle follows the first expansion in March 2024, nearly two years after the government was formed.