Lucknow: The first reshuffle of Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, which was postponed due to health condition of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, is likely to take place on August 21 (Wednesday), a Raj Bhawan official informed news agency PTI. According to reports, the reshuffle will fill up the slots after some of the state ministers were elected to the Lok Sabha and the government is also planning to induct some new faces in the cabinet.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new members in the UP Cabinet is slated to held in the Raj Bhawan in Lucknow on Wednesday. It has been speculated that between 10-12 ministers will take oath in Adityanath's new cabinet post reshuffle. Three to four ministers with independent charge are also expected to be sworn in.

Some ministers are likely to be dropped, while some may have to undergo a change of portfolio. CM Adityanath along with Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Swatantra Dev Singh had last met BJP working President JP Nadda in the national capital to decide the details of the reshuffle. Adityanath had also the newly appointed state Governor Anandiben Patel to inform her in this regard.

Currently, the Adityanath cabinet has 43 ministers — 21 cabinet ministers, nine ministers of state with independent charge and 13 ministers of state. The Ministry has 17 vacancies. This will be the first cabinet reshuffle after Adityanath took charge in the state in March 2017, heading a 47-member ministry.

Three of the 47 ministers -- Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Satyadev Pachauri and SP Singh Baghel -- were elected to the Lok Sabha in May. OP Rajbhar, who heads the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, was sacked for causing embarrassment to the BJP-led government. The swearing-in will be held at the Gandhi auditorium on the premises at 11 am, the official informed.

"Reshuffling of the cabinet is the sole prerogative of the chief minister. How many will be elevated to cabinet rank, how many new faces will be inducted and how many will be rewarded for their work is the prerogative of the chief minister," a UP BJP leader had told news agency PTI.