In the second expansion of Adityanath 2.0, two Cabinet ministers and four ministers of state were inducted on May 10, while two ministers of state were elevated to independent charge.
Among the new Cabinet ministers, former state BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary was assigned MSME portfolio, while SP rebel Manoj Pandey was given food and civil supplies – earlier held by the CM. Ajit Pal Singh and Somendra Tomar, now ministers of state with independent charge, received food safety and drug administration, and political pension along with sainik kalyan, respectively.
The four new ministers of state – Krishna Paswan, Surendra Diler, Hansraj Vishwakarma and Kailash Rajput – were also accommodated with portfolios. Significantly, there was minimal reshuffle among senior leaders, including deputy CMs KP Maurya and Brajesh Pathak.
Crucially, the CM retained key departments such as home and public works despite speculation of internal pressure over caste balancing and power-sharing. The seven-day delay in portfolio allocation and the final distribution suggest careful calibration. While new faces were accommodated to address social and regional representation, the core power structure remained intact.
A senior BJP leader termed the entire exercise as accommodation without dilution of authority.
With polls approaching, BJP appears focused on avoiding disruptions while maintaining administrative continuity, the leader added. Any signs of factionalism could have sent adverse signals to both cadre and voters.
