UP: Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary quits as panchayati raj minister, Keshav Prasad Maurya likely to step in

LUCKNOW: State panchayati raj minister Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary resigned from the post on Tuesday, a day after taking over as the new Uttar Pradesh BJP chief.
Chaudhary tendered his resignation before the meeting of the state cabinet headed by CM Yogi Adityanath.
"Resigned from the cabinet to discharge the responsibility of the Uttar Pradesh BJP unit president. Heartfelt thanks to PM Narendra Modi for his inspirational guidance and CM Yogi Adityanath for giving me instructions," Chaudhary tweeted.
Chaudhary, who was the panchayati raj state minister (independent charge) during Yogi 1.0, was elevated to the cabinet rank in the same ministry after the Bharatiya Janata Party returned to power in 2022 assembly elections.
Though the state government is yet to decide on Chaudhary's successor for the panchayati raj portfolio, speculations are rife that deputy CM Keshav Maurya may be handed over the charge. Party sources said the panchayati raj department draws a similarity with the rural development department which is headed by Maurya.
The selection would come as a boost to Maurya since he has been attempting to elevate his stature in the party. Despite losing his Sirathu seat in Prayagraj in the UP polls, Maurya was inducted as the deputy chief minister and recently replaced former UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh as the leader of the house in the legislative council.
While government officials refrain from comment saying that the final call on the new panchayati raj minister would be taken by CM Yogi Adityanath, sources close to Maurya point towards the recommendation of Niti Aayog on amalgamation of departments having similarities (such as rural development and panchayati raj).
The Union ministry of rural development and panchayati raj is already headed by senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh.
"The state government, too, can follow suit and hand over the charge to Maurya," said a senior BJP leader. Moreover, senior bureaucrat Manoj Singh holds the dual charge of rural development as well as panchayati raj as their additional chief secretary.
Significantly, Singh is also agriculture production commissioner. Sources do not rule out the possibility of a cabinet expansion to induct a fresh face into the cabinet.