Most of the 21 ministers who took oath on Saturday in a way will act as check barriers for other SP ministers and leaders in their respective districts.

1.           With every new minister, Akhilesh Yadav creates check barrier for another.

Most of the 21 ministers who took oath on Saturday in a way will act as check barriers for other SP ministers and leaders in their respective districts.

                

Shedding the set rule of balancing the region, religion and caste equations in the cabinet expansion, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav adhered to a new principle of putting a check barrier before his ministers and party leaders in their own districts while selecting the list of new ministers.
Most of the 21 ministers who took oath on Saturday in a way will act as check barriers for other SP ministers and leaders in their respective districts. Akhilesh has learnt this practice from his father Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav who always encouraged several groups within his own party in one district. The result? No one goes overboard becoming a necessity for party as there is always a competitor available in their home district ready to usurp their mantle.
Among the cabinet ministers, Arvind Singh Gope got a berth, something that he had been craving for the past three years. However, Fareed Mehfooz Kidwai from Gope’s native district Barabanki also got promoted as minister of state (independent charge), not giving him enough reasons to rule the district single handedly.
Similarly, Kamal Akhtar from Amroha has been promoted as cabinet minister and he will be now at par with another cabinet minister from the district, Mehboob Ali. Sahib Singh Saini has been appointed as cabinet minister from Saharanpur, which has no SP MLA and he will prove an obstacle for senior leader Qazi Rasheed Masood in the district.
Reyaz Ahmed could not relax after getting promoted as MoS with independent charge as another first time MLA Hemraj Verma from his Pilibhit district too has been incorporated as MoS. Yasir Shah’s joy of promotion as MoS independent charge is also shortlived as another MoS, Bansidhar Baudh, has been appointed resulting in two power centres in Bahraich. Shadab Fatima’s role as MoS independent charge in her Ghazipur will be difficult as the district already has three cabinet ministers. MoS Shailendra Yadav ‘Lalai’ has been given opportunity to balance powerful cabinet minister Parasnath Yadav in Jaunpur.
MoS Radhey Shyam Singh’s success will be an oblivion for cabinet minister Brahmashanker Tripathi as both hail from Kushinagar. MoS Omkar Singh Yadav from Badaun’s appointment will check the growing influence of Azam Khan’s loyalist and MLA Abid Raza in the district. MoS Sudhir Rawat’s induction has already cut to size four term MLA Udairaj Yadav in Unnao. Pawan Pandey’s reinduction as MoS will result in another power centre for cabinet minister Awadesh Prasad as both hail from Faizabad.