Four ministers of the Akhilesh Yadav government were upgraded on Sunday as ministers of state with independent charge, while senior Samajwadi leader Mohammed Azam Khan was again administered the oath of office and secrecy after it was found that he had taken an incomplete oath on March 15.
Uttar Pradesh governor B.L. Joshi administered the oath of office and secrecy to all the five ministers at a simple function at Raj Bhawan on Sunday.
The four ministers who were upgraded as ministers of state with independent charge are Arvind Singh Gope, Rajendra Singh Rana, Bhagwat Singh Gangwar and Aruna Kumari Kori. These four had been sworn-in as ministers of state on Thursday along with the rest of the ministers.
Meanwhile, senior Congress MLA Pramod Tiwari and SP MLA Mitrasen Yadav were also sworn in as pro-term Speakers of the state Assembly. Mr Tiwari has been elected legislator on Congress ticket from Rampur Khas Assembly constituency in Pratapgarh district for a record ninth time while Mitrasen Yadav is SP MLA from Bikapur Assembly constituency in Faizabad district.
After the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday, the Akhilesh Yadav ministry now has 19 Cabinet ministers, four ministers of state with independent charge and 24 ministers of state whereas the total strength of the council of ministers remained unchanged at 48.