Uttar Pradesh reshuffle may follow after changes at centre

Reshuffle of the Uttar Pradesh ministry may follow the reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers. Talks have resurfaced in Lucknow about an exercise to balance caste equations, accommodate members of allies and assuage disgruntled MLAs. Four legislative council seats have also fallen vacant, which can be used if non-legislators are made ministers.

UP council can have a maximum of 60 ministers. After the death of ministers Chetan Chauhan, Kamal Rani Varun and Vijay Kashyap, there is room for six new ministers. Decision on inductees would be finalised depending on the nature of the central reshuffle, a UP government insider said. If certain equations related to caste and ally representation of UP are not taken care in the central reshuffle, they could be in UP.

Some names doing the rounds for UP have been mentioned as probables in the Union ministry too. Apna Dal-S MLC Ashish Patel could be inducted in the state Cabinet if his wife Anupriya Patel is not made central minister. Similarly, Sanjay Nishad, chief of the Nishad Party, has also been demanding a role in the state Cabinet. Nishad represents a crucial OBC sub-caste that together comprises close to 20% of the entire UP population. Lately, he has been making no bones about his resentment with the BJP, demanding that he be projected as deputy CM in the polls.