UP cabinet likely to be reshuffled soon with an eye on 2022 assembly elections

Days after holding parleys with the central leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to rejig his Cabinet soon.

With an eye on 2022, smaller NDA coalition partners like Apna Dal chief Anupriya Patel are eyeing bigger roles both in the state and in the Centre. Both Patel and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi this week, giving credence to the buzz that both parties want to have an active alliance with the BJP.

According to a senior minister in the state, there are vacant posts in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet that are going to be filled without much rejigging.

Sources stated that former Congress MP from Haryana Arvind Sharma and Jitin Prasada, who recently joined the BJP after quitting Congress, are likely to be inducted into the state cabinet.

Apparently, this is being done with a view to balance the caste equations with Brahmins being the focus in the state.

The feedback submitted by BJP's National General Secretary BL Santhosh, and Uttar Pradesh's in charge Radha Mohan Singh, have triggered Yogi's series of meetings planned in the national capital.

"More importantly, it is about who will be given what portfolio, especially Arvind Sharma, known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jitin Prasada, the recent joined BJP, who is set to be inducted, in case, there is Cabinet expansion in the state," according toUP cabinet likely to be reshuffled soon with an eye on 2022 assembly elections the sources.

Apart from holding meetings with the central BJP leadership, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also met Members of Parliament from the state, including Union Minister V K Singh and former Union Minister and MP Satyapal Singh.

Elections to 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh are due in 2022. In 2017, the BJP had registered a landslide victory polls winning over 300 seats. The Assembly polls will be the biggest litmus test of the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha constituencies, the highest amongst all states.