The BJP currently has 258 MLAs in Uttar Pradesh. Among them, there are 45 Rajputs, 42 Brahmins, 84 OBCs, 59 Scheduled Caste (SC) legislators, and 28 other upper-caste MLAs.
Published: May 10, 2026 7:52 AM IST
New Delhi: In a significant development, the second expansion of the Yogi Adityanath cabinet is set to take place today. Experts are of the opinion that the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to use the cabinet expansion to strike a caste and regional balance ahead of the next year’s Assembly elections. According to a Dainik Jagran report, six new ministers are expected to be inducted, and some existing ministers of state could also be elevated to cabinet rank. Among those who may be inducted are Manoj Pandey and Pooja Pal, both of whom had rebelled against the Samajwadi Party and voted for the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections.
It is important to note that currently, the Uttar Pradesh government has a total of 54 ministers, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak. The state can have a maximum of 60 ministers. It is believed that all six vacant posts will be filled, keeping caste and regional equations in mind.
There is also speculation that some ministers may be removed and shifted to organisational roles, while a few leaders from the organisation could be brought into the cabinet.
CM Yogi Adityanath Meets Governor Anandiben Patel:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday met Governor Anandiben Patel after attending the swearing-in ceremony in Bengal. Following the meeting, it was confirmed that the long-awaited cabinet expansion would take place on Sunday at 3 PM.
Here are some of the key details:
- Among the names being discussed for ministerial positions are former BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhary, who belongs to the Jat community
- MLC Hansraj Vishwakarma from the Extremely Backward Class community
- Krishna Paswan, an SC leader and MLA from Khaga in Fatehpur; and Surendra Diler.
- Former Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma, who served during Yogi government’s first term, being brought back into the cabinet.
- BJP state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla may also get a place in the ministry.
- Those who may be promoted from Minister of State (Independent Charge) to Cabinet Minister include Cooperation Minister JPS Rathore, Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi, Horticulture Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, and Social Welfare Minister Aseem Arun.
Current Cabinet
As mentioned above, the Uttar Pradesh government has 21 cabinet ministers, including the chief minister and two deputy chief ministers. There are also 14 Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and 18 Ministers of State. Notably, the maximum number of ministers allowed is 60; hence, only six more ministers can be inducted unless someone is removed from the cabinet.
Caste Composition of BJP MLAs
The BJP currently has 258 MLAs in Uttar Pradesh. Among them, there are 45 Rajputs, 42 Brahmins, 84 OBCs, 59 Scheduled Caste (SC) legislators, and 28 other upper-caste MLAs.
Similarly, in the 100-member Legislative Council, the BJP has 79 members. Among them are 23 Rajputs, 14 Brahmins, 26 OBCs, 2 Muslims, 12 other upper-caste members, and 2 members from the SC community.
First cabinet expansion took place two years ago
To recall, the first expansion of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet took place on March 5, 2024, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In 2024, four new cabinet ministers were inducted, keeping the social equations in mind. This balanced the backward classes, Dalits, upper castes, and regional representation from eastern to western Uttar Pradesh.
Om Prakash Rajbhar, Dara Singh Chauhan, RLD MLA Anil Kumar from Muzaffarnagar’s Purkazi seat, and BJP MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma from Ghaziabad’s Sahibabad constituency were inducted in 2024.
With this, the number of Cabinet Ministers, including Chief Minister Yogi, had risen to 22. However, after the Lok Sabha elections, Jitin Prasada became a Union Minister. As a result, the current number of Cabinet Ministers stands at 21.
