After Mahakumbh, buzz about ministry expansion, U.P. BJP rejig

After successful organisation of the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, there is a buzz in the corridors of power about a second expansion of the Yogi Adityanath 2.0 ministry as well as a rejig in the state BJP.

- Rajesh Kumar Singh

LUCKNOW:

The party leaders who played a pivotal role in the Uttar Pradesh assembly bypoll may be rewarded with ministerial berths, a BJP leader said.

The big winners in the by-election -- BJP MLA Chandrabhanu Paswan who defeated SP candidate Ajit Prasad in Milkipur and Dharamraj Nishad who defeated SP candidate Sobhawati Verma in Katehari -- may be accommodated in the ministry, according to those in the know of things. The strength of the full Council of Ministers stands at 54 currently with six vacancies.

The BJP won the bypolls comprehensively bagging seven out of 10 seats on its own and one seat went to its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal. The opposition SP won just two seats. The bypoll morale booster came months after the BJP suffered a setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, winning just 33 out of 80 seats in U.P. Now, the buzz about the ministry expansion has come weeks before the Yogi government 2.0 completes three years in office in March.

"Non-performers are likely to be axed, while the performers will be rewarded with promotion and allotment of important departments in the ministry," said a BJP leader.