LUCKNOW: Three days after a glittering swearing–in ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his senior cabinet colleagues, portfolios were allocated to ministers of Yogi cabinet 2.0 on late Monday evening here.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while kept a total of 34 portfolios including home, vigilance, housing, urban planning, administrative reforms and public distribution, with himself, he took the crucial Public Works Department (PWD) from Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya who has now given rural development along with six other departments including rural engineering, entertainment tax, food processing, public enterprises and national integration.
Maurya had been holding the significant PWD in the previous stint but now the portfolio has been given to Congress turncoat Jitin Prasada, in a show of bigger trust in him. Jitin, who joined the BJP in June 2021 and is now a BJP MLC, was made a minister for technical education in the last reshuffle of previous Yogi cabinet.
Other Deputy CM Brijesh Pathak, the only face from state capital Lucknow, has been entrusted with the responsibility of all the streams of health department including medical education, health and family welfare along with Mother and Child welfare.
Pathak could not get the ministry of Law, which he reportedly was interested in as he was holding it in his previous stint as Yogi minister.
Moreover, Arvind Kumar Sharma, the ex-IAS officer of Gujarat cadre and supposedly close to PM Narendra Modi, has been given five portfolios including the significant urban development and Power. Sharma now a BJP MLC after taking VRS in January 2021, will also look after the departments of urban employment and poverty alleviation besides non-conventional power sources.
Two different ministers Ahutosh Tandon and Shrikant Sharma had been looking after Urban development and Power respectively in the previous regime of Yogi Adityanath.
Shrikant Sharma, BJP MLA from Mathura, had played an important role in mending the power scenario in the state during the last five years.
However, this time, he failed to make it to the state cabinet. He is among 26 ministers dropped in Yogi cabinet 2.0.
While 9-time MLA from Shahjahanpur, Suresh Kumar Khanna will retain his previous portfolios of Finance and parliamentary affairs, Surya Pratap Shahi will look after Agriculture like before.
State BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, who has been sworn in as cabinet minister will be the new Jal Shakti minister of UP holding the responsibility of seven departments including Jal Shakti, Namai Gange, rural water supply, irrigation and water resources, small irrigation, soil development and flood control.
The only woman holding the cabinet rank in the new government, Baby Rani Maurya has been entrusted with the responsibility of Women welfare, Child Development and Nutrition. Maurya, an MLA from Agra Rural, has been a member of national women Commission, and Governor of Uttarkhand before coming back to mainstream politics.
The significant portfolio of Industrial development has been handed over to Nana Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ whp had been taking care of state civil aviation department in previous regime. Industrial development was with eight –time BJP MLA Satish Mahana who is likely to don the cap of speaker this time.
Among the allies, while Ashish Patel, Apna Dal (S) MLC, has been given the charge of vocation education and consumer protection, while Dr Sanjay Nishad of NISHAD party has been given his favourite portfolio of piscery.
The new Adityanath cabinet made space for at least 31 fresh faces while dropping 26 ministers, including heavyweights, from the first term of his government in Uttar Pradesh.
Overall, the team Yogi 2.0 sworn-in on March 25 includes two deputy chief ministers, 18 cabinet ministers, 14 ministers of state (independent charge) and 20 ministers of state, apart from the chief minister. Among the 52 ministers, five are women.
The BJP created history in recently concluded assembly polls when it, along with allies, won a record mandate by bagging 273 of the 403 assembly seats of the state, becoming the first party in three decades to get a second term after completing a five-year tenure.