Yogi Adityanath took oath as Uttar Pradesh chief minister for the second straight term on Friday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders.

Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak were sworn in as deputy chief ministers at the Atal Vihari Vajpayee Ekana International Cricket Stadium in state capital Lucknow. Maurya, a powerful OBC leader, is known to share testy ties with Adityanath.

Maurya had been deputy chief minister in the previous Adityanath government as well but lost the election from Sirathu in Kaushambi district. Pathak was law minister in the previous government and has won from Lucknow Cantonment.

Dinesh Sharma, an MLC, had been deputy chief minister along with Maurya earlier. Political observers believe that Sharma, seen as close to Modi, could be given an assignment at the Centre.

Of the 16 cabinet ministers who took oath on Friday, the most notable was Arvind Kumar Sharma, a former IAS officer and close confidant of Modi. The Prime Minister had sent him to Uttar Pradesh in January 2021. Although it was speculated that he would be made minister, Arvind Sharma was sent to Varanasi to manage Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.

Swatantra Dev Singh, the state BJP president, has also been appointed a cabinet minister. The portfolios are yet to be announced.

Also sworn in were 14 ministers of state with independent charge and 20 ministers of state.

Daya Shankar Singh, one of the ministers of state with independent charge, had got embroiled in a controversy before the 2017 Assembly elections after he used foul language against Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati. He had been declared an absconder and arrested eventually.

His wife Swati Singh had been fielded from Sarojini Nagar in Lucknow and Adityanath had appointed her minister of state (independent charge) for women’s welfare in his first term. However, this time she was not given a ticket and her husband contested from Ballia Nagar.

Swati moved a family court last week seeking divorce from Daya Shankar.

Known as Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister mentioned his name as Adityanath Yogi while taking oath. He had done the same in 2017.

Keeping caste equations in mind, there are eight Brahmins, eight Dalits, six Kshatriyas and five Jats in Adityanath’s new ministry.

Danish Azad Ansari has been made a minister of state. Although he had not contested the Assembly elections, his work as state general secretary of the BJP’s minority cell appears to have been recognised.

The outspoken Mohsin Raza, who was minority affairs minister in Adityanath’s first government, has been dropped. Some Muslim leaders had recently alleged that Raza had misused his powers to sell waqf properties.

Responding to Modi’s congratulatory tweet, Adityanath said: “Respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I am grateful for your good wishes. Uttar Pradesh is touching new heights every day with your inspiration. The journey of development will be continuous.”

Adityanath wrote in another tweet: “Oath of nationalism, good governance, security, development.”

Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party president, didn’t attend the oath-taking ceremony. He tweeted: “I congratulate the new government for taking oath at a stadium that was built by the SP (government). The oath should be taken not only for formation of the government but also to do honest service for the people.”