After two senior BJP leaders from Uttar Pradesh (UP) were summoned to Delhi, speculation is rife about a possible expansion in the Yogi Adityanath-led Government ahead of the 2022 State Assembly polls.

UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and organisation general secretary Sunil Bansal went to Delhi on Monday evening to discuss the issue with the central leadership. They had a detailed discussion with national leaders and are likely to return on Wednesday. A senior BJP leader said caste and region would be the important factor to decide on the expansion. “Efforts were made to balance the caste equation during the expansion of the Union Cabinet recently as seven new Ministers from UP were inducted in the Modi Cabinet. 

This helped in stemming the revolt within the OBCs but the murmur still persists among the Brahmins," he said.

Among the seven new faces that were inducted into the Modi's Cabinet two were from the backward community, two from the OBCs, two Dalits and one Brahmin, in the form of Ajay Kumar Mishra.

At present there are 17 Ministers from UP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the Union Cabinet.

Despite such a large representation of UP in the Union Cabinet there is a feeling in UP BJP that some castes and regions are less represented in the Cabinet.

"Both the leaders have gone to Delhi with a list of probable Ministers who could be accommodated in the State Cabinet," he said and added that the issues like selection of candidates for four vacant seats in Vidhan Parishad could also be discussed."

A senior Minister in the Yogi Cabinet told this reporter that in the last meeting with Ministers Chief Ministers had hinted that some Ministers could be given party posts. This shows that the formula which the Prime Minister adopted could be replicated in UP under which some Ministers could be dropped and new faces are included in the Cabinet, he said.