Hours before the oath-taking ceremony, the suspense continues in Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath is likely to have two deputy chief ministers again; Keshav Prasad Maurya may retain his post and Dinesh Sharma may be replaced by Brajesh Pathak
Yogi Adityanath is all set to take the oath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister for a second term on Friday. AFP
Yogi Adityanath is all set to take oath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for a second term on Friday. It’s been a hectic day for the politician so far. Ahead of the grand ceremony scheduled for 4 pm at Lucknow’s Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, the CM has been busy handpicking his cabinet.
Few new faces are expected to join the Yogi 2.0 Cabinet. The last Adityanath government had two deputy chief ministers and that tradition is likely to continue. The frontrunners are Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, according to News18.
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We take a look at who is possibly in and who’s out, as intense speculation continues.
Keshav Prasad Maurya: The name of KP Maurya as the first deputy chief minister is almost finalised, despite him losing his seat, say party insiders. At the meeting for the BJP legislature group, he was present on stage with Adityanath and Amit Shah. The home minister reportedly referred to Maurya as “poorva upmukhyamantri”.
Brajesh Pathak: He served as the law minister in the previous UP government and is likely to become Adityanath’s second in command. A prominent Brahmin leader of the party, he won a seat from Lucknow. In 2017, he quit Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party to join the BJP.
Jitin Prasada: After switching sides from the Congress last year, he was made minister in the Adityanath government. He is likely to get a ministerial berth again.
Baby Rani Maurya: Former Uttarakhand governor and prominent Dalit face, Baby Rani Maurya is expected to get a key role in the new UP cabinet.
Asim Arun: The former Indian Police Service officer reached Adityanath’s residence on Friday afternoon. He won from Kannuaj. After taking voluntary retirement last year, he joined the BJP and contested the election.
AK Sharma: Former IAS officer-turned MLC AK Sharma is among the probable ministers in the cabinet. He served as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s secretary when the latter was Gujarat’s chief minister. Sharma was sent to UP last year by senior BJP leadership and was appointed party vice-president of the state unit.
Swatantra Dev Singh: The state BJP chief is one of the party’s most prominent Other Backward Class leaders. He is likely to get a top ministry.
Pramila Pandey: The Kanpur mayor, who famously climbed a bulldozer to celebrate BJP’s election victory, has reportedly received a call from Yogi Adityanath and is expected to bag a cabinet position.
Sandeep Singh: The grandson of former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh, he is likely to be among the new faces in the UP Cabinet. He is a BJP MLA from Atrauli.
Dinesh Khatik: He’s a prominent Dalit face from western Uttar Pradesh and is expected to get a ministry. He won Hastinapur Meerut.
Anjula Manohar: Hathras MLA Anjula Manohar’s name has been cropping up among the women MLAs.
Sanjay Nishad: The BJP legislature party meeting was attended by a newly elected legislator of the party’s ally, the Nishad Party. Its head Sanjay Nishad is likely to be included in the Cabinet. His son is a BJP MP from eastern UP.
Ashish Patel: Another important BJP ally, the Apna Dal, which won 12 seats in the election, attended the crucial meeting on Thursday. Anish Patel, the Apna Dal leader is a Member of the Legislative Council and the husband of Anupriya Patel. He might find his name in the Cabinet.
Several known faces might not find a place for themselves in the new Cabinet. Minister of Jal Shakti Dr Mahendra Singh, Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana, Minister of MSME Siddharth Nath Singh and Minister of Medical and Health, Family Welfare Jai Pratap Singh are likely to be dropped, according to Zee News.
With inputs from agencies
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