UP: CM Akhilesh Yadav expands Cabinet, 20 ministers take oath

AMN /

Twenty one new ministers today took oath in Uttar Pradesh in first major reshuffle done by the CM Akhilesh yadav. In the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhawan in Lucknow, 11 new faces were inducted as ministers, while 9 were promoted. Three state ministers were elevated to Cabinet rank, while two new faces also joined as Cabinet ministers.

Eight ministers also took oath as Ministers of State with Independent Charge. With today’s induction, the total number ministers in the state government has reached 57.

Arvind Kumar Gope, Kamal Akhtar, Vinod Kumar alias Pandit Singh were sworn in as cabinet ministers in the Akhilesh Yadav government by governor Ram Naik.

Balwant Singh Ramu Waliya and Sahab Singh Saini also took oath as cabinet minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government.

Riyaz Ahmed, Nitin Agarwal, Yasir Shah, Shadab Fatima, Fareed Mahfooz Kidwai and Ram Sakal Gurjar were sworn in as ministers of state with independent charge.

Mool Chandra Chauhan and Madan Chauhan also took oath as ministers of state with independent charge.

Akhilesh Yadav also brought in Radheshyam Singh, Tej Narain Pandey, Pappu Nishad, Shailendra Lalayi Yadav, Omkar Singh and Sudhir Rawat as ministers of state, in his government.

Hemraj Verma, to be appointed as MoS in the Akhilesh cabinet, was unable to reach the swearing-in ceremony on time.