LUCKNOW: Keeping caste equations and regional aspirations in mind, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath expanded his cabinet on Sunday ahead of crucial assembly elections in the state early next year.
As many as seven ministers took oath at a ceremony held in Gandhi auditorium at the Raj Bhavan in Lucknow.
Prominent among the new ministers is Jitin Prasada, the former Congress leader who recently jumped ship to the BJP.
Below are descriptions of all the new ministers inducted in UP cabinet:
Cabinet minister
Jitin Prasada, 48, Brahmin, Shahjahanpur: From a traditional Congress family of terai region, he joined BJP in June this year. Was a Union minister in both UPA I and UPA II, but lost his family seat Dhaurhara in both 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. His tryst with state elections in 2017, too, was not successful. Now, after joining the BJP, he got both Parishad and ministerial berths on the same day.
Ministers of state
Paltu Ram, 45, SC, Balrampur: First-time MLA from Balrampur, he started as an independent Zila panchayat member in 2000. Thereafter joined BSP and contrsted Mankapur seat unsuccessfully in 2007. In the 2015 zila panchayat poll, he contested and won as a BJP-supported candidate. His dedication got him the party ticket in 2017.
Chhatarpal Gangwar, 64, OBC (Kurmi), Bareilly: Two-time MLA from Baheri in Rohilkhand. His induction is aimed at both caste and regional balance. Till 2019, two ministers from the region were in Yogi cabinet and one in PM Modi's cabinet at the Centre. Now all three are out. He won in 2007, but lost in 2012.
Sangeeta Balwant Bind, 42, Bind (OBC), Ghazipur: MLA from Ghazipur Sadar, has risen from local campus politics. Started from the BSP but joined BJP before 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Then MP Manoj Sinha ensured her ticket in 2017 assembly polls and she made her Vidhan Sabha debut
Dharamveer Prajapati, 58, OBC, Agra: An MLC from Agra, he hails from neighbouring Hathras district. An RSS man since the beginning of his political career, he has been given key positions in the state BJP twice in the past. At present, he is chairman of Mati Kala board
Sanjeev Kumar Gond, 41, ST, Sonbhadra: The only scheduled tribe MLA in BJP. He won for the first time in 2017 from Obra, one of the two seats reserved for the STs. Known for his simplicity, Gond's induction is an attempt to win over a large number of tribal voters in the region
Dinesh Khatik, 44, SC, Meerut: First-time MLA from Hastinapur. Has been a loyal party worker instrumental and in winning support of dalit voters in the region. Started from the RSS. Father, too, has been an RSS member. His brother Nitin has been a Zila panchayat member
