New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keeping the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in mind while deciding on the Cabinet formation in Uttar Pradesh.


A detailed exercise is, therefore, on and every effort is being made to balance the regional, caste and geographical issues.


The BJP has also decided not to induct tainted faces in the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet.


There will be two ministers from the Apna Dal, including Ashish Patel, in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Cabinet.


A leader of the Nishad Party will also be included in the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet.


Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh will be the new face in the Cabinet. Singh, who will be rewarded for the BJP’s splendid performance in Uttar Pradesh, was a part of the Cabinet prior to his appointment as the party’s state chief.


Keshav Prasad Maurya, Shrikant Sharma, Siddharth Nath Singh, Nand Gopal Nandi, Brajesh Pathak, Rampal Verma, Surya Pratap Shahi, Ashutosh Tandon, Mohsin Raza, Anil Rajbhar and Sandeep Singh will be included in the Cabinet.


BJP MLA Brijesh Singh, who retained the Deoband Assembly seat for another term, will also be a part of the Cabinet.


BJP leader Rajeev Singh alias Babbu Bhaiya, who won from the Dataganj Assembly seat, too will be a part of the Cabinet this time.  


BJP’s Rajesh Chaudhary, who won from the Mant Assembly constituency in Mathura district this time defeating seven-time MLA Shyam Sundar Sharma, will also get a chance this time.


Besides, two former bureaucrats Asim Arun and Rajeshwar Singh, who emerged victorious in the assembly elections, will also be included in the Cabinet.


BJP leader Jitin Prasada will be made the minister again this time.


Former Uttarakhand governor and BJP national vice-president Baby Rani Maurya will be given a key post this time.


BJP leaders Anjula Mahour and Pratibha Shukla too will be a part of the Cabinet. Besides, four other women leaders will also be included this time.


Adityanath had earlier on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers and BJP leaders in the national capital.


The discussions during the meetings centred around a host of issues related to the government formation.


Adityanath will be the first chief minister in the last 37 years to return to power after completing a full term in the state.


The BJP won 255 assembly seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The saffron party’s allies Apna Dal (S) and Nishad Party bagged 12 seats and six seats respectively.


The Samajwadi Party came a distant second winning 111 seats and its alliance partners Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) got six and eight seats respectively.


The Congress and the Jansatta Dal got two seats each and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) bagged just one seat.