LUCKNOW: The Yogi Adityanath government inducted four new ministers in the Cabinet on Tuesday.
Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Chief Om Prakash Rajbhar was sworn in as Cabinet minister by Governor Anandiben Patel.
Rajbhar has made a return to the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet, almost five years after he severed ties with the ruling BJP and quit the government in 2019. Rajbhar is MLA from Zahurabad in Ghazipur.
Dara Singh Chauhan, who had quit the BJP ahead of the 2022 assembly elections to join the Samajwadi Party and then returned to BJP months later, was also sworn in as minister. He is a member of Vidhan Parishad.
Anil Kumar, Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA from Purqazi in west UP, was also sworn in as the minister. He is the first RLD MLA to join the Yogi government as a minister.
Sunil Sharma, BJP MLA from Sahibabad was also sworn in as minister.
The BJP has taken care to ensure a caste and regional balance in the second expansion of the Cabinet.
At present, the UP Council of Ministers has 52 members and eight more can join it as per the rules. The council includes 18 Cabinet rank ministers, including two Deputy Chief Ministers, 14 Ministers of State with Independent charge and 20 Ministers of State.