The ‘special importance’ that Varanasi holds for chief minister Yogi Adityanath became evident when a local MLA was inducted in the council of ministers on Wednesday and two other lawmakers from the district were elevated.
Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.
Ravindra Jaiswal, second-term BJP MLA from Varanasi North, was inducted in the council of ministers as a minister of state with independent charge. Known for his presence on the social media, he is said to be quite active in party affairs and has a keen interest in social activities.
Neelkanth Tiwari, a first-term MLA from Varanasi South, has been promoted as minister of state with independent charge.
In 2017, he was appointed minister of state for law justice, information, sports and youth welfare at the time of formation of the Yogi Adityanath government.
His predecessor Shyamdev Rai Chaudhary had won the Varanasi South seat for the BJP seven times consecutively. In the 2017 assembly polls, the BJP fielded Tiwari and he successfully retained the seat for the party.
Anil Rajbhar, the BJP’s Shivpur MLA, has been elevated as a cabinet minister. He was made minister of state for Sainik Kalyan, civil defence, home guard and Prantiya Rakshak Dal in 2017. Earlier this year, he was given charge of the department of Divyang Jan welfare after SBSP chief Omprakash Rajbhar, who held the portfolio as a cabinet minister, was dismissed.
Rajbhar has been trying to strengthen his hold among the community members.
Prof Kaushal Kishore Mishra, who teaches political science at BHU, said it was quite visible that Varanasi had been given special importance in the cabinet expansion. By elevating Anil Rajbhar, the BJP tried to strengthen its support among Rajbhar community, he said.
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