Lucknow:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, battling allegations of poor governance after a series of rapes and killings, has stripped 15 ministers of powerful portfolios and sacked a junior minister.
The 40-year-old Chief Minister has taken charge of six more departments, which takes his portfolio tally to 49.
The revamp follows a meeting held by Mr Yadav's father Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief, on Sunday with all state ministers.
Nine cabinet ministers, one minister of state with independent charge, and five ministers of state have been allotted less significant portfolios. In a late night development, Pawan Pandey, Minister for state for entertainment tax, was also dropped.
Senior cabinet minister Rajendra Chaudhary, who held the prisons portfolio, has now been allotted the Department of Political Pensions.
Balram Yadav, another senior cabinet minister from Azamgarh, was removed as Panchayati Raj minister.
Manoj Kumar Pandey, a minister from Raebareli and a prominent Brahmin face of the party, was given the Science and Technology Ministry instead of the allied agriculture departments.