Adityanath expands Cabinet: Rajbhar, Dalit leader from RLD among four new ministers

The four were sworn in by Governor Anandiben Patel in a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday evening in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Out of the four new ministers, two are non-Yadav OBCs – SBSP chief and Zahoorabad MLA Om Prakash Rajbhar, and BJP MLC Dara Singh Chauhan who has influence among non-Yadav voters in areas surrounding Ghosi, Azamgarh and Ballia. Notably, both the leaders hail from east UP and were ministers in Adityanath’s first-term Cabinet. While Rajbhar contested the last Assembly polls in alliance with Samajwadi Party, Chauhan had joined the main Opposition party before the 2022 Assembly elections.

The RLD, which too severed ties with Samajwadi Party recently and joined the BJP-led NDA, got its one MLA inducted into the Cabinet.

Anil Kumar is a three-term MLA from Purkazi in Muzaffarnagar district. The Dalit leader comes from a farming background and is considered close to RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary.

With RLD MLA and SBSP chief’s induction, all the members of the NDA alliance in Uttar Pradesh besides Apna Dal (S) and NISHAD Party are now represented in the state Cabinet.

Among the four names, mosthe t surprising addition was that of the 55-year-old Brahmin face of the BJP in west UP, Sunil Kumar Sharma. The BJP MLA from Sahibabad had won with a record margin of over 2 lakh votes in 2022 Assembly polls.

Chief Minister Adityanath congratulated the newly inducted ministers, saying: “There is full confidence that all of you will play an important role in realising the resolve of ‘Developed Uttar Pradesh’ by implementing ‘Modi’s Guarantee’ at the ground (level). My best wishes to all of you for your bright tenure.”

Speaking to mediapersons after taking oath, Dara Singh Chauhan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Adityanath. “I will try my level best to fulfil their expectations. We will work diligently, and win 80 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP,” Chauhan said.

Rajbhar said there has been no riots in the state during the seven years of the Adityanath government and no curfew has been imposed. “During the rule of the SP and the Congress, riots used to take place in the state. Today, there is a rule of law in the state. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, we will win 80 out of the 80 seats from UP, and the BJP will register wins on 400-plus seats in the country,” Rajbhar said.

RLD’s Anil Kumar thanked party president Jayant Chaudhary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Adityanath.

“I have got a huge responsibility, and I will discharge it with full honesty and allegiance. We will work to win all the 80 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, and fulfil the call of (winning) 400-plus seats (for the NDA) given by the prime minister,” he said.