The Finance portfolio has gone to Mayawati’s trusted lieutenant K K Gautam. Earlier, the portfolio was with the CM herself. Mulayam Singh Yadav also kept the ministry to himself. The last Finance Minister was Harishchandra Srivastava in the Kalyan Singh Government in the year 1997.

Cabinet minister Chadra Deo Ram Yadav has been given Small Industries while Ashok Kumar will look after Land Development and Water Resources. Ashok Kumar has been given the departments that were earlier with Rahgunath Prasad.

Prasad, a minister of state with independent charge, had resigned from the ministry last month. Cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta has been given the portfolio of Institutional Finance (excluding Trade Tax), Stamp Duty and Court Fee. The Trade Tax department will remain with Urban Development & Environment Minister Nakul Dubey who was also holding the charge of Institutional Finance earlier.

Among the ministers of state with independent charge who were administered oath on Wednesday, Bhagwati Sagar has been given Employment while Jaiveer Singh will look after the Department of Flood Control and Water Treatment.

Of the four ministers elevated to the Cabinet rank, Badshah Singh has been given Labour department. The department was with Vedram Bhati earlier who has now been given Home Guard department. Badshah Singh was looking after small industries as minister of state with independent charge. Rangnath Mishra, who too has been upgraded to the Cabinet rank, has been given Secondary Education while Abdul Mannan will look after the Department of Science & Technology and Information Technology. The Science and IT department fell vacant after the resignation of Cabinet minister Sudhir Goyal.

The Department of Secondary Education was with Jaiveer Singh earlier who will now look after Rural Engineering Services and Agri Export. Another upgraded minister Anant Kumar Mishra will continue to look after Health and Medical department.

After allocating portfolios, the Chief Minister now has 36 departments with her. Besides, there has been no change among heavyweight ministers such as Indrajit Saroj, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Babu Singh Kushwaha, Nakul Dubey and Lalji Verma. Ramvir Uppadhya has been given additional charge of newly formed Department of integrated rural development along with Energy.

After the Cabinet expansion, the strength of Mayawati Cabinet has risen to 54, including herself. It was the second expansion since Mayawati assumed charge from Mulayam Singh Yadav.