Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav expanded his cabinet on Monday with 10 more ministers including Prajapati Gayatri Prasad whom he had sacked few days ago amid the Samajwadi Party’s internal dispute.
Akhilesh additionally played the Brahmin card re-drafting two of them into the cabinet. The two- – Manoj Pandey and Shivakant Ojha- – had also been sacked before.
Out of the 10, seven were accorded the cabinet rank and three minister of state.
The swearing-in of the new ministers was conducted at Raj Bhavan by Governor Ram Naik.
Akhilesh dropped minister of state Laxmikant Nishad to maintain the ceiling of 60 in the council of ministers.
Ziauddin Rizvi who could not take oath on June 24 also took oath as a cabinet minister.
Three ministers of state – Abhishek Mishra, Narendra Verma and Shankh Lal Majhi were elevated as cabinet ministers.
The 10 new ministers include three ministers of state (independent charge) – Riyaz Ahmad, Yasser Shah and Ravidas Mehrotra.