Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 10 : In a significant move for the Uttar Pradesh cabinet, BJP leader Manoj Kumar Pandey officially took his oath as a State Minister on Sunday.
Following the ceremony, Pandey expressed profound gratitude to the party leadership while launching a sharp verbal offensive against Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Speaking toshortly after the swearing-in, Pandey emphasised his identity as a disciplined "party worker." He credited his appointment to the trust placed in him by the top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Pandey said, "I would like to express my gratitude to the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Chief Minister, and my party for giving me this responsibility. Whatever responsibility the party assigns us, we will fulfill it. We are party workers; we will work according to the direction and guidance given by the party."
The celebratory atmosphere quickly shifted to political confrontation when Pandey was asked to respond to recent remarks made by Akhilesh Yadav. Pandey did not mince words, attributing the SP leader's criticisms to a lack of political stability following the BJP's recent momentum.
"This is his mental imbalance. When the mandate of the entire country is in favour of the BJP today, the nation, and the pillars of Sanatan, the Samajwadi Party raises such questions," said Pandey.
This comes after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, earlier in the day, reacted to the development on X, questioning the selection process and criticising the political implications of the cabinet expansion.
He raised concerns over the limited number of vacancies and the inclusion of leaders who recently switched parties, while also targeting the BJP over governance issues.
Aiming at the BJP's decision-making, he wrote, "There are only 6 vacancies in the UP cabinet, yet more people have switched over from other parties than thatwill all of them be honored with ministerial positions?"
He further questioned the selection criteria within the ruling party, asking, "Will the weakest among them be selected, so that their weakness is somewhat mitigated?" and also raised concerns over representation, stating, "If just one is chosen from among several MLAs of a community, what will be the basis for the selection?"
Extending his criticism, Akhilesh Yadav questioned the future of leaders who recently switched to the BJP but may not find space in the cabinet. He asked, "What will happen to those party-switchers? Will their neglect and humiliation be pacified with some give-and-take?" and added, "Won't the rest of those left out feel utterly cheated?"
Uttar Pradesh expanded its Council of Ministers on Sunday, taking it to the maximum permitted strength of 60 in the 403-member Assembly. The cabinet now includes 23 cabinet ministers, 16 Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and 21 Ministers of State.
Former BJP State President Bhupendra Chaudhary and BJP leader Manoj Pandey were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers.
State ministers Ajit Pal Singh and Somendra Tomar were elevated and given independent charge of their departments.
Four new faces Krishna Paswan, Surendra Diler, Hansraj Vishwakarma, and Kailash Rajput were inducted as Ministers of State.
With the upcoming Assembly polls looming, the reshuffle is less about departmental efficiency and more about social engineering.
This is the second cabinet expansion under the Yogi 2.0 government since it came to power. The latest reshuffle comes after the first expansion was carried out in March 2024, nearly two years after the formation of the government.
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