Uttar Pradesh : The expansion of the Yogi Adityanath government’s cabinet in Uttar Pradesh has now concluded. On Sunday, eight ministers, including six new faces, took the oath as part of the latest cabinet reshuffle, marking an important political move ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Amid strong political speculation before the expansion, there were reports that Pooja Pal could be inducted into the state cabinet. However, her name was missing from the final list of ministers.
SP Leader IP Singh Targets Pooja Pal
After Pooja Pal failed to secure a ministerial berth, senior IP Singh, considered close to Akhilesh Yadav, reacted sharply on social media platform X.
In his post, IP Singh mocked Pooja Pal and claimed that not only did she miss out on becoming a minister, but she would also never be able to win an election as a BJP candidate. He further made personal and political remarks while accusing her of betrayal, adding that the consequences of political disloyalty eventually catch up.
मंत्री तो छोड़ो अब तुम बीजेपी कोटे से कभी विधायक नहीं बन पाओगी।
जो इंसान इस दुनिया में नहीं है उसके नाम पर राजनीति करते हुए उसे भी धोखा दिया दूसरा घर बसाकर।
विश्वासघात का फल अवश्य मिलता है।
अब बीजेपी का मंत्रीमंडल विस्तार 20 बरस बाद होगा। pic.twitter.com/BMcgyUHuktAlso Read— I.P. Singh (@IPSinghSp) May 11, 2026
From SP MLA to Political Isolation
Pooja Pal currently represents the Chayal Assembly seat in Kaushambi. She was elected in the 2022 Assembly elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket.
However, her political journey took a dramatic turn after allegations surfaced that she voted in support of the BJP during the Rajya Sabha elections and publicly praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s administration. Citing anti-party activities, the Samajwadi Party expelled her from the organization in 2025.
Cabinet Expansion Focused on 2027 Electoral Strategy
Political observers believe the latest cabinet expansion has been carefully designed with the 2027 Assembly elections in mind. The BJP appears focused on countering the Samajwadi Party’s PDA social equation while strengthening its own caste-based political outreach.
The newly inducted ministers reflect this strategy. Manoj Pandey represents the Brahmin community, while Bhupendra Chaudhary, Hansraj Vishwakarma, Somendra Tomar, Ajit Singh Pal, and Kailash Rajput represent Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities.
Meanwhile, Krishna Paswan and Surendra Diler have been included as representatives of Dalit communities, signaling the BJP’s broader social balancing strategy in the state.