Lucknow:

To assuage the sentiments of Muslims in the wake of Muzaffarnagar riots, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday elevated three ministers of state from the community to the Cabinet rank and also inducted a new Muslim face in the ministry.

Those elevated to the Cabinet rank today are Mehboob Ali, Iqbal Mehmood and Shahid Manzoor. Yasir Ali was sworn in as a minister of state by Governor BL Joshi. Ali is the son of Waqar Ahmed Shah, who was ailing for the past several months and was relieved of his labour portfolio.

The expansion of the 21-month-old Akhilesh Yadav ministry came ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Shivakant Ojha, who could not be present during the last reshuffle on January 18 as he was abroad, was today elevated as a cabinet minister.

The swearing in function was held in Raj Bhawan here.

With this, the strength of the ministry has risen to 60 — 27 cabinet, including the chief minister, and 33 ministers of state.

This is the sixth Cabinet expansion since Samajwadi Party came to power in March 2012.

The exercises is understood to have been taken in the wake of ruling SP facing flak in the aftermath of riots in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts last year, in which over 60 persons were killed. Many victims, who had fled their homes are still languishing in relief camps.