Lucknow, September 26: The Council of Ministers headed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be expanded on Sunday evening, officials said. A swearing-in ceremony has been scheduled at the Gandhi auditorium in Raj Bhavan at 5:30 pm, they said.

The officials, however, remained tight-lipped about the number or the names of ministers who will be inducted in the cabinet, barely months ahead of the crucial 2022 assembly elections in the state. The name of Brahmin leader Jitin Prasada, who switched over to the BJP from the Congress, is being considered. UP CM Yogi Adityanath to Address Kisan Sammelan in Lucknow Today.

Repeated efforts to contact Prasada were in vain. Sanjay Nishad, whose NISHAD (Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) party will contest the elections with the BJP, could also be included. There are 53 ministers in the UP cabinet at present, and seven more can be inducted as per the constitutional limit.