Yogi Adityanath takes oath as 22nd CM of UP, PM Modi attends swearing-in

Danish Azad Ansari will be the Muslim face of Adityanath 2.0

Yogi Adityanath on Friday took oath as the 22nd chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in the presence of top politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 

Adityanath is the first UP CM in 35 years to return to power after trumping anti-incumbency and an aggressive opposition. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by UP Governor Anandiben Patel.
 

Apart from Adityanath, 27 legislators, mostly belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took the oath. While Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak have been made deputy CMs, 16 and 14 legislators were sworn in as cabinet ministers and ministers of state (MoS) with independent charge, respectively.
 

In all, 53 people, including Adityanath, took the oath at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
 

Dinesh Sharma, a deputy CM in Adityanath cabinet 1.0 has been dropped, while Pathak, a Brahmin face, has taken his place.

MoS Danish Azad Ansari would serve as the Muslim face of the new government. BJP member of legislative council (MLC) and former cricketer Mohsin Raza has been dropped.
 

While cabinet ministers Ashish Patel and Sanjay Nishad belong to the BJP allies Apna Dal (Sonelal) Nishad Party, the remaining council of ministers are from the saffron party.
 

Interestingly, Arvind Kumar Sharma, an MLC, has also been anointed a cabinet minister. Sharma, a former bureaucrat of the Gujarat cadre is considered close to Modi and was instrumental in making Vibrant Gujarat a success during the latter’s stint as the Gujarat CM.