The much awaited expansion of the Akhilesh Yadav ministry on Thursday tuned out to be an OBC-dominated show.
Two ministers of state were given an elevation — one to Cabinet rank and one with independent charge — while two new faces were sworn in as the Cabinet minister.
While Narad Rai and Kailash Yadav were sworn in as cabinet ministers at a simple ceremony at Raj Bhawan on Thursday morning, Ram Murti Varma, who was a minister of state, was given a cabinet rank. Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, a minister of state, was made a minister with independent charge.
Of the four, Kailash Yadav, Ram Murti Varma and Gaya Prasad Prajapati belong to the OBC castes and Narad Rai is a Bhumihar by caste. This an clear indication that the Samajwadi Party wants to consolidate its position among OBCs, particularly in eastern UP.
All the four who were sworn in on Thursday belong to eastern UP. Mr Kailash Yadav is from Ghazipur, Gaya Prasad Prajapati is from Amethi, Ram Murti Varma is from Ambedkar Nagar and Narad Rai is from Ballia.
The most significant development in the third cabinet expansion of the Akhilesh Yadav government on Thursday was the refusal of the chief minister to take back independent legislator and former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh a.k.a. Raja Bhaiyya into the cabinet.
Raja Bhaiyya had resigned from his ministerial position in March this year after he was accused of being involved in the murder of a DSP in Pratapgarh. The CBI that probed the murder has virtually given him the clean chit and the former minister’s name does not even figure in the charge sheets filed by CBI in court.
It was widely speculated that Raja Bhaiyya, who wields considerable influence over Thakurs in Uttar Pradesh, would be brought back into the council of minister but the omission of his name from the list on Thursday has left his supporters disappointed and even angry.