The Yogi Adityanath government is likely to carry out a Cabinet expansion by August-end. According to reports, five to seven new ministers could join the government. Currently, there are 54 ministers, and the upper limit is 60. This expansion will reportedly be done to fix certain caste equations ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022.
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The speculations grew after the Chief Minister flew to the national capital on Thursday, and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda. UP BJP chief Swantantra Dev Singh, national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, general secretary (organisation) of party's state unit Sunil Bansal were also present in the meeting.
As reported by the Free Press Journal, Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad was also present at the meeting. Meanwhile, the BJP has agreed to accommodate Sanjay Nishad in the proposed Cabinet expansion and give him a seat in the state’s upper house.
According to a senior BJP leader from UP, since Sanjay Nishad is not a member in any of the house in UP, the party has agreed to send him to the legislative council under the nominated quota. In July four seats of the nominated category in the UP legislative council had fallen vacant.
Besides Nishad, the BJP leaders in Delhi also discussed the name of three candidates who will be sent to the legislative council. The party has made up its mind on former state BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai and former Congress leader Jitin Prasada. Jitin had joined BJP last month.
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