In the first expansion of his ministry after coming to power, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday inducted 12 new ministers, including Vinod Kumar Singh who was dropped after he allegedly manhandled the Gonda CMO.
In what appeared to be an attempt to encourage youths ahead of 2014 battle, two first time MLAs were also given chance. Of the 48 ministers inducted in March 2012, two berths fell vacant following the death of sports minister Kameshwar Upadhyay and removal of revenue minister Vinod Kumar Singh after CMO issue.