New Delhi: State BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh was among 52 MLAs sworn in as ministers on Friday at Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana stadium in Lucknow.
An influential OBC leader, Singh belongs to the backward Kurmi caste and played a vital role in BJP's second consecutive win in the UP Assembly election.
However, many do not know that Swatantra Dev Singh was named Congress Singh by his parents. However, he changed his name to Swatantra Dev Singh after joining the BJP. He was elevated to the post of the state BJP chief in 2019.
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An influential OBC leader, Singh was born on February 13, 1964, in UP's Mirzapur district, PTI reported. Singh completed his BSc from Bundelkhand University.
Singh had started his career as a reporter for a Hindi daily in 1986.
He was a minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led previous government as well. He has also held various positions in the party, including that of its state vice-president and general secretary.
He also held the post of the the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
Presently, Singh is a member of the state Legislative Council and had played a crucial role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 and 2017 election rallies in UP.
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Earlier in the day, Yogi Adityanath took oath as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister for a second consecutive term. Keshav Prasad Maurya, who failed to win his seat in the assembly polls, and Brajesh Pathak were sworn in as deputy CMs.
Apart from the chief minister, 18 cabinet ministers, 14 ministers of state (independent charge) and 20 other ministers of state were administered the oath by Governor Anandiben Patel.