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Adityanath keeps Home, 33 key portfolios in new UP cabinet
Keshav Prasad Maurya, who retained his deputy CM’s position, had his old public works department portfolio replaced with newer ones like rural development, food processing and public enterprises
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday allocated portfolios to his 53-member team, retaining 34 key departments, including home, personnel and vigilance.
New deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak was allocated the medical education, medical and health and family welfare departments.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, who retained his deputy CM’s position, had his old public works department portfolio replaced with newer ones like rural development, food processing, public enterprises and national integration.
Former bureaucrat AK Sharma, among the 16 cabinet ministers and who worked under Prime Minister Narendra Modi both in Gujarat and in Delhi, has bagged urban development and power.
In Adityanath’s first government, while Ashutosh Tandon ‘Gopal’ held urban development, Shrikant Sharma was the power minister. Both haven’t found a place this time, though Shrikant is in the race for the state BJP chief.
In Gujarat, Sharma was associated with several of Modi’s pet projects including organising the ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ summit, and his appointment as urban development minister has been made to tap his planning and creativity, a BJP leader familiar with the allocation process said.
Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad has been made the fisheries minister while Ashish Patel, husband of Apna Dal (Sonelal) leader and Union minister Anupriya Patel, has been allocated technical education portfolio. Ashish, a former executive engineer of UP Jal Nigam, is a civil engineer.
“Many departments have been handed over to specialist ministers. For instance, technical education minister is an engineer, the fisheries minister represents the community, the urban development minister has been a successful bureaucrat. The health ministry to deputy CM Brajesh Pathak could be seen as an acknowledgement of the work he did in Covid times, getting admissions, beds, oxygen cylinders and the rural department to Keshav Maurya could be seen as a decision with an eye on 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” said AP Tiwari, a political analyst.
While senior minister Suresh Khanna, a nine-term lawmaker, retained his portfolios of finance and parliamentary affairs, five-time MLA Surya Pratap Shahi remained in charge of agriculture. UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev, an OBC leader, has been made Jal Shakti and flood control minister. Baby Rani Maurya, a Jatav Dalit was given the women welfare and child development portfolio.
Former Union minister Jitin Prasada will be the new PWD minister. Yogendra Upadhaya has been made the higher education minister, while Nand Gopal ‘Nandi’, who was the minorities minister in the previous Yogi government, has been given key portfolios of industrial development, export promotion, NRIs and investments.
Jat leader Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary retained the Panchayati Raj portfolio, while Rakesh Sachan has been made the minister for MSMEs and khadi. The labour ministry went to Anil Rajbhar.
Former anti-terrorist squad chief Asim Arun has been made the new social welfare minister. Sandeep Singh, the grandson of former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh, has been made basic education minister, while Gulab Devi will be the minister for secondary education.
Dharamvir Prajapati will be the minister for jails and home guards, while Narendra Kashyap has got the backward welfare portfolio. Arun Kumar Saxena is the new forest minister while Daya Shankar Mishra ‘Dayalu’ is the Ayush minister.
