UP cupboard growth: Caste calculations take form forward of polls

(This story initially appeared in on Sep 26, 2021)

With an try and set the caste steadiness proper and provides extra illustration to most backwards and schedule castes earlier than the state polls subsequent yr, chief minister Yogi Adityanath inducted seven new ministers into his cupboard on Sunday.

Jitin Prasada, a Brahmin — whose induction was thought of a foregone conclusion ever since he converted from Congress in June this yr — is the lone higher caste within the listing. Out of six others, three are from OBCs, two scheduled castes and one scheduled tribe.

The newly inducted ministers had been sworn in on the Raj Bhawan at 5.30am by Governor Anandiben Patel, within the presence of the CM and different senior ministers.

Whereas Prasada is the one cupboard minister, the opposite six have been given the rank of minister of state (MoS). Whereas a lot of the new ministers belong to the castes that had been both not or much less represented within the Yogi ministry, the ever-demanding Brahmins bought yet one more illustration in Prasada.

Out of the 2 scheduled caste ministers, one is Jatav — Paltu Ram from Balrampur, and the opposite a Sonker — Dinesh Khatik, an MLA from Hastinapur in West UP space. The area has a sizeable presence of dalit neighborhood.

The three newly inducted OBC ministers are Dharmveer Prajapati, Chhatrapal Gangawar and Sangeeta Balwant Bind.

An MLA from Baheri constituency, the elevation of Gangwar, a Kurmi, is being seen as a alternative of Santosh Singh Gangwar, an MP from Bareilly, who was dropped from Modi cupboard lately.

Curiously, two Kurmi leaders — Apna Dal’s Anupriya Patel and BJP’s Pankaj Chaudhary — had been earlier made ministers within the Modi cupboard at Centre. Kurmis make for a large chunk amongst OBCs.

The induction of Bind, a first-time MLA from Ghazipur district can be being seen as BJP’s bid to create its personal Nishad management at a time when the BJP has cast an alliance with NISHAD social gathering led by Dr Sanjay Nishad.

Nishads have an enormous presence, principally in japanese UP areas mendacity on the banks of rivers. Ghazipur is located on the banks of the Ganga.

In its closing cupboard growth, BJP has given illustration to a member of Scheduled Tribe as properly — Sanjeev Kumar Gond, an MLA from Sonbhadra.

With only some months earlier than UP polls, the BJP assume tank has tried to present illustration to most backwards among the many OBCs in a bid to wrap up vote share as much less as even 2%, a system first time utilized by former CM late Kalyan Singh after which efficiently carried out by Union dwelling minister Amit Shah in 2014, when he was the state in cost.