Major Cabinet reshuffle on cards in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is planning a major Cabinet reshuffle this month. Discussions in this regard have been held with BJP president Amit Shah during his just-concluded three day visit. According to sources, about half a dozen ministers whose performance has been rated as unsatisfactory could be dropped in the reshuffle.

The axe is likely to fall on those dozen ministers against whom there are complaints of corruption and poor performance. At a recent meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi, BJP MPs from UP had complained against these ministers and also their refusal to work in tandem with party cadres.

Mr Adityanath has also informed the party high command of malpractices that these ministers are indulging in — even defying the chief minister’s order of not effecting transfers in their departments.

“The chief minister has already made an assessment of the work of all ministers in the first 100 days of the government. He has taken feedback from the party workers and the bureaucracy and it is on this basis that changes will be made. The teething troubles of the government are over and Mr Adityanath will now focus on a performance driven and honest government,” said a party functionary.

Meanwhile, the party’s dilemma over the future of ministers who are not members of the state legislature has been largely resolved by the resignation of three SP MLCs on Saturday.

“Mr Dinesh Sharma, Mr Swatantra Dev Singh and Mr Mohsin Raza can now be made MLCs in order to continue in their ministerial positions”, said a party source.

Yogi Adityanath, sources said, is keen to enter the state assembly with a direct election. He will most probably be contesting from a seat in eastern UP—probably, Campierganj from where the sitting MLA Fateh Bahadur Singh has offered to resign. Deputy chief minister Keshav Maurya is also keen to contest a assembly by-election from Phulpur.

Earlier, there were reports that he could be shifted to centre where he will be accommodated as minister of state in the union cabinet. His strained relationship with the chief minister is already well known in political circles and the BJP did not wish to give an opportunity to Ms Mayawati to emerge as a joint opposition candidate in event of a by-poll in Phulpur, the seat held by Mr Maurya.

Mr Maurya, meanwhile, has parried all questions about his possible shifting to Delhi. “I am not going anywhere until I fulfill my commitment to make UP ‘SP-BSP mukt”, he told reporters. BJP president Amit Shah also ruled out reports of Mr Maurya being shifted to the centre.