Lucknow, 10 May

(HS): Six new faces Bhupendra Chaudhary, Manoj Pandey, Kailash Rajput, Krishna

Paswan, Surendra Diler and Hansraj Vishwakarma have been included in the

cabinet expansion of Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh. At the same

time, two state ministers of Yogi Government have been promoted. State minister

Somendra Tomar and state minister Ajit Singh Pal have been made state ministers

(independent charge). Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandi Ben Patel administered

the oath of office and secrecy to all these people in the Gandhi auditorium of

Jan Bhavan on Sunday. All the members of the council of ministers including

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present on this occasion.

In the cabinet expansion, former UP BJP president

Bhupendra Chaudhary was sworn in as a minister. Manoj Pandey from Rae Bareli

district was also made a minister. Among the promoted state ministers, Ajit

Singh Pal and Somendra Tomar took the oath of office and secrecy as ministers

of state (independent charge). Krishna Paswan, Kailash Rajput, Surendra Diler

and Hansraj Vishwakarma took the oath of office and secrecy as ministers of

state.

Bhupendra Chaudhary: The face of Jat politics in

western UP - Former Uttar Pradesh BJP President Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary hails

from the Moradabad region of western Uttar Pradesh. He is a member of the

Legislative Council and served as the Minister of Panchayati Raj during the

first term of the Yogi government. As state president, he played a key role in

strengthening the organization down to the booth level. Consequently, the party

has given Bhupendra Chaudhary a gift.

Manoj Pandey: A prominent Brahmin leader from the

SP - Manoj Pandey is the MLA from the Unchahar seat in Rae Bareli district. He

has been a prominent Brahmin figure in the Samajwadi Party (SP). He served as a

minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government, but during the 2024 Lok Sabha

elections, he distanced himself from the Samajwadi Party and supported the BJP.

By including Manoj Pandey in the cabinet, the BJP is seeking to strengthen its

message among Brahmin voters. He is also considered influential in areas

traditionally dominated by the Gandhi family, such as Rae Bareli and Amethi.

Ajit Singh Pal: Influential in society while

carrying forward his father's legacy - Ajit Singh Pal, Minister of State

(Independent Charge/Minister of State) in the Uttar Pradesh government, is a

BJP MLA from the Sikandra Assembly constituency in Kanpur Dehat. He holds the

portfolios of Science and Technology, Electronics and Information Technology.

He is the son of former BJP MLA Mathura Prasad Pal. He entered politics after

his father's death. He studied in Russia and worked as a chemical engineer

before becoming active in politics. He contested the by-election following his

father's death in 2017 and became an MLA for the first time, then won again

from Sikandra in 2022 and became a Minister of State.

Dr. Somendra Tomar: A longtime student leader from

Meerut - Dr. Somendra is the first such student leader. Emerging from the

student union, he has reached the top of mainstream politics. Dr. Somendra was

in ABVP from 1998-2004. In 1998, he was elected as the university minister of

ABVP and in 2004, he was elected as the student union president from the ABVP

panel. In 2004, he was the state convener of BJYM. In 2012, Somendra Tomar was

given a ticket by BJP for the first time, but then it was changed. In 2017, he

got the ticket and won. In the 2022 elections, he defeated alliance candidate

Adil Chaudhary. Somendra, a resident of Khaili village of Baghpat, lives in

Shastri Nagar, Meerut. His father Mahendra Singh Tomar is a retired principal.

Krishna Paswan: The stakes of Dalit representation

- Krishna Paswan is a leader with influence within the Dalit community,

particularly the Paswan community. She is the MLA from the Khaga assembly seat

in Fatehpur. It is believed that the BJP has appointed her as a minister to

garner the Paswan vote bank in Purvanchal and central Uttar Pradesh.

Kailash Rajput: A popular face in the Farrukhabad

region - Kailash Singh Rajput, BJP MLA from Tirwa Assembly constituency in

Kannauj district, who belongs to the Lodhi Rajput community, has also been

sworn in as a Minister of State. He has strong influence in the Tirwa and

Chhibramau areas. Kailash Rajput is considered to have a strong hold among

Lodhi Rajput voters. Kailash Rajput is considered an influential leader of the

Lodhi Rajput community in Kannauj district. He has strong influence in the

Tirwa and Chhibramau areas.

Face of Surendra Diler political family - Surendra

Diler is the MLA from the Khair assembly seat in Aligarh district. He

originally belongs to the Dalit community and is a Dalit leader from a family

with a political background. His grandfather, Kishan Lal Diler, served as a

four-time MP and six-time MLA from the Hathras Lok Sabha seat. His father, the

late Ravir Singh Diler, was a BJP MP from the Hathras seat and a one-time MLA.

The Khair seat is reserved for Scheduled Castes. Surendra Diler has played a

key role in strengthening the BJP's base here.

Hansraj Vishwakarma: A strong face of OBC politics

- Hansraj Vishwakarma is a Legislative Council member from the Prime Minister's

parliamentary constituency, Varanasi. He is considered a prominent OBC leader

within the BJP. His influence is felt among the Vishwakarma community in

Varanasi, Chandauli, Bhadohi, and surrounding districts of Purvanchal. Hansraj

Vishwakarma, who has been active in the organization for a long time, is

considered a grassroots leader. The Prime Minister has praised him several times.

Vishwakarma is part of the BJP's strategy to strengthen its non-Yadav backward

classes. His political importance is further enhanced by his origins in

Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi