Completing one of the major formalities after forming the government, Yogi Adityanath distributed the portfolios to his council of ministers on the evening of Wednesday.
Ever since the government was formed and as many as 47 ministers were sworn in, there were speculations about who could get which department. A politically sensitive state like Uttar Pradesh, which has been under a lot of positives and negatives on security, religion and corruption front, it was surely a tough task for the leadership to distribute the portfolios.
Yogi Adityanath and his team seem to have got the first move right. With majority of the important ministries kept within the trio of Yogi Adityanath, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, the government has somewhere indicated towards its intentions of improving the situation of departments across government.
The most sensitive of the ministries, Home ministry will remain with the chief minister. Along with home, CM will also look after departments like information, mining, revenue, housing and development, food and civil supplies, secretariat administration, personnel and appointment departments.
Keshav Prasad Maurya will hold departments including public works department, food processing, entertainment tax and public enterprise department.
Dinesh Sharma, the other deputy CM will hold education (higher and school), science and technology, electronics and information technology.
Two other ministers, Srikant Sharma and Siddharth Nath, who have been sent from the center and are first time MLAs, have been given energy and health departments respectively.
In total, the chief minister has kept 36 departments with himself, 14 lower than his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav, who had 50 departments with himself. Along with that, finance ministry has been given to a minister for the first time after 15 years. Rajesh Aggarwal, who has been with BJP as state treasurer for long, will hold the important finance ministry.
Rita Bahuguna Joshi, daughter of former UP CM got women & family welfare, women & child development and tourism department and SP Singh Baghel got fisheries, minor irrigation and animal husbandry. Swami Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak, both of whom were with BSP before, have for labor and law departments respectively.
Swatantra Deo Singh will handle transport ministry while Suresh Rana will have sugar mills and cane development. Chetan Chauhan, former Indian cricketer has got sports and youth welfare departments.
Of the others, Satish Mahana will have Industrial development and Suresh Khanna will handle parliamentary affairs. Dara Singh Chauhan has been given forest environment and zoological gardens whereas Dharampal Singh will look after irrigation. Satyadev pachauri has been goven Khadi Gramodhog, Silk and Export promotion departments. JP Singh will take care of the excise department. Mohsin Raza will look after Haj and Muslim Waqf related issues. Om Prakash Rajbhar will look after backward casts and handicap departments. Baldev Olakh has been goven minority affairs.
LN Choudhary will have milk development, religions endowment culture departments and Nand Gopal Gupta will handle civil aviation and stamp & court fee departments.