Jitin Prasada was inducted as a Cabinet Minister while six others — Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar, Paltu Ram, Sangita Balwant, Sanjeev Kumar, Dinesh Khatik and Dharmvir Singh — were administered oath as Ministers of State (MoS). With their induction, the strength of the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has gone up to 60.

Lucknow: BJP MLAs Palturam, Sangeeta Balwant, Sanjeev Kumar, and Dinesh Khatik take oath as ministers of state (MoS) in the Uttar Pradesh Govt pic.twitter.com/4JlLAvponc

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 26, 2021

The oaths were administered by Governor Anandiben Patel at a function in the Gandhi auditorium in the Raj Bhavan in the presence of the CM.

The expansion of the council of ministers has taken place as the BJP prepares for the assembly elections in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh early next year. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

Brahmin leader Prasada had jumped ship from Congress to BJP earlier this year amid the saffron party’s internal worries about the thin representation of the community in the party.

#WATCH | BJP leader Jitin Prasada takes oath as a minister in the Uttar Pradesh Government, at a ceremony in Lucknow

Prasada joined the BJP from Congress in June this year pic.twitter.com/qlnnbp6qOL

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 26, 2021

The expansion of the council of ministers has taken place as the BJP prepares for the assembly elections in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh early next year.

Earlier in June, amid strong speculation that CM Adityanath was going to reshuffle his Cabinet, BJP’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Radha Mohan Singh, had said though there were vacant posts, it is CM Adityanath’s prerogative to fill them as and when he likes to.

With the induction of the new ministers, the strength of the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has gone up to 60. (Express photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

The BJP will be fighting next year’s Assembly polls, most likely to be held in February, under the leadership of CM Adityanath. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, in an interview with PTI, said that “the central leadership has already made it clear that the party will contest the election under Yogi Adityanath ji to return to power.”

Sharma was among the contenders vying for the top post in 2017.

Asked if the upcoming polls will be a direct fight between the BJP and the SP or a triangular contest involving Mayawati’s BSP as well, Sharma said, “The BJP is winning hands down.”

In the 2017 UP Assembly polls, the BJP had won 312 seats out of the 403 seats. Its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) had won nine seats.

(With agency inputs)