Sources in the party told UNI on Sunday that the ministry reshuffle could come around the time of BJP chief Amit Shah’s visit to UP in April.
The BJP trying to set an agenda for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, will bring in more backward leaders in the state ministry to counter the ‘upper caste’ tag on his government.
The reshuffle has also been necessitated by the coming together of two caste-based parties — Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. The perception about the Yogi Adityanath government being dominated by the upper castes strengthened after the victory of Samajwadi Party candidates, both OBCs, in the two Lok Sabha bypolls recently.
The shock bypoll defeats and the feedback given by Union ministers to the BJP brass in Delhi that despite coming to power in UP due to votes from backward castes, their leaders have not got adequate representation.
“We have 47 ministers in the Council of Ministers and can expand it to 60. Many of the 13 vacancies could be filled by OBC leaders. There is no Dalit-Jatav face in the Cabinet and we may bring in one such leader,” a BJP leader said.
The party could also opt for backward leaders for 10 MLC seats, the election for which is due in May this year. A prominent backward leader and Minister of State (Independent Charge) Swatantra Dev Singh, could be promoted to Cabinet rank while backward leaders like MLA from Agra, GS Dharmesh, could be inducted into the Council of Ministers. Besides, a backward leader from BJP’s ally Apna Dal could also be inducted into the Cabinet while the party’s other ally, Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, may get a better portfolio.
Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel and Rajbhar have met BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi recently and have demanded more share in the government.
A Yadav face could also be inducted, with the name of Faizabad MLA Ram Chandra Yadav doing the rounds. “ BJP fielded 11 Yadav in the 2017 polls out of which nine won and one, Girish Chandra Yadav, was inducted as minister of state. Harnath Singh Yadav has been elected to Rajya Sabha. These moves are aimed at wooing the Yadav and Jatav vote bases of SP and BSP respectively,” the BJP leader said.
The BJP state spokesperson Chandramohan refused to comment on the Cabinet reshuffle but said that the Chief Minister would surely make an “assessment of the performance of his ministers as the government has completed one year” and the party brass could decide upon possible changes.
Performing ministers such as Minister of State for Rural Development (independent charge) Mahendra Singh may be promoted to Cabinet rank.
Replying to the debate on general budget for 2018-19 in the Assembly on Thursday, the Chief Minister had announced the setting up a committee to explore reservations for most backward castes and ‘Most Dalits’ within their respective quotas. UNI
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