Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inducted as many as 52 ministers in his cabinet which includes 18 cabinet ministers, including the two deputy chief ministers, 14 ministers of state (independent charge) and 20 other ministers of state. A caste-region equation has been kept in mind while deciding the ministerial faces. While the Yogi 2.0 cabinet has an imprint of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, there are around a dozen turncoats who have made it to the cabinet.

Jitin Prasada, a prominent Brahmin leader who joined the BJP last year after quitting Congress, has been included in the cabinet. While Prasada did not contest the polls, he continues to be the Member of the Legislative Council. He has been inducted as the Cabinet Minister once again.

Brajesh Pathak, who has replaced Dinesh Sharma as Deputy Chief Minister, has been inducted as the Cabinet Minister. Pathak had started his political career with Congress and was associated with the BSP before moving to the BJP ahead of the 2017 elections.

Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan, another cabinet minister in the Yogi government, had joined the BJP ahead of the 2017 elections. A very senior leader and six-time MLA, Chaudhary was associated with Lok Dal, Janata Dal, Congress and BSP in the past.

Nitin Agarwal had joined the BJP after jumping ship from the Samajwadi Party. He is the son of senior leader Naresh Agarwal. The father-son duo had joined the BJP after jumping ship from the SP. Nitin has been inducted as Minister of State (Independent Charge).

Cabinet minister in the new government, Anil Rajbhar had started his political career with the Samajwadi Party. He won the 2017 assembly polls on the BJP ticket and now has been inducted into the Yogi government as a cabinet minister.

Dayashankar Mishra Dayalu is another former Congress leader who joined the BJP after quitting the grand old party. Dayalu is a surprise entry in the Yogi cabinet as he is neither an MLA nor an MLC. He has been inducted as Minister of State (Independent Charge).

Other turncoats who have made it to the Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet are Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh (Ex-Samajwadi Party leader), Pratibha Shukla (Ex-BSP), Rakesh Sachan (Ex-Congress), Dr Arun Kumar Saxena (Ex-SP), Narendra Kashyap (Ex-BSP), and Nand Gopal Nandi (Ex-BSP).