Decoding The Yogi Adityanath Cabinet Reshuffle With An Eye On 2027 UP Elections

Last Updated:May 10, 2026, 18:12 IST

With the long-awaited swearing-in done, all eyes will now be on portfolio distribution among the new ministers

The long overdue cabinet reshuffle in Uttar Pradesh finally took place on Sunday afternoon, barely eight months before the state goes to polls.

Former state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Bhupender Chowdhry, who is also the party’s Jat face, and former Samajwadi Party rebel, Manoj Pandey, a well-known Brahmin leader from Rae Bareli-Amethi belt, were sworn in as cabinet ministers.

While Chowdhry is expected to galvanise Jat and farmers’ votes ahead of polls, Pandey will strengthen the party’s base in the erstwhile Gandhi bastion of Rae Bareli and Amethi, as well as reach out to the large Brahmin community which has at times shown signs of unease with the present dispensation.

Ajit Singh Pal, an MLA from Kanpur Dehat district, was sworn in as minister of state with independent charge. He comes from the same OBC community as Shyam Lal Pal, who is the state Samajwadi Party president, and is expected to dent the SP’s efforts to consolidate larger OBC groups. Somendra Tomar, who was minister of state for Power, was also elevated as minister of state with independent charge.

Four Ministers of state were also sworn in, with three-term woman MLA Krishna Paswan and Surendra Diler, a youth leader, both coming from the Dalit community which the ruling BJP wants to consolidate behind it. Paswan, who has been an Anganwadi worker and now a three-term MLA, also represents women, which has been given special emphasis by the Modi government, especially after attempting to bring in Women’s Reservation recently.

The BJP district President of Varanasi, Hansraj Vishwakarma, also holds a special place in the list of ministers. Vishwakarma, who hails from the OBC background, has been district president of Varanasi for three terms and is known to be close to Prime Minister Modi, who is also an MP from the holy city. Kailash Rajput, a Lodhi (OBC) from Kannauj, which was earlier represented in parliament by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, is another attempt by the BJP to weaken the SP’s base in its citadel.

With the long-awaited swearing-in done, all eyes will now be on portfolio distribution among the new ministers, also redistribution among the existing ministers. The portfolios are likely to be announced by late Sunday night.

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