Even after three days of the expansion of his cabinet, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is yet to distribute portfolios to the incumbent and is waiting for a ‘green signal’ from Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

A senior minister told ‘The Pioneer’ on Thursday that the Chief Minister does not want to take chances this time and has left the matter for Mulayam Singh to solve.

“The problem remains what Gyatri Prajapati should get. It is believed that he is asking for Mining while the CM wants to give him some non-important portfolio. Therefore, the CM has asked Mulayam Singh to take a call,” he said.

Gyatri Prajapati was heading Mining department before he was sacked by the Chief Minister ostensibly after Allahabad High Court ordered a CBI probe into illegal mining in UP.

Mulayam Singh was in Delhi and has returned to lucknow on Thursday. It is believed that the CM will discuss with him and state SP chief Shivpal Singh Yadav and then new portfolios will be distributed. 

last Monday, four news ministers including Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, Shivakant Ojha, Manoj Kumar Pandey and Ziauddin Rizvi were inducted into the cabinet. The same day, the CM had promoted Minister of state for Transport (Independent charge) Yaser Shah, minister of state for Fisheries and Public enterprise (Independent charge) Riyaz Ahmed and minister of state for Family Welfare (Independent charge) Ravidas Mehrotra to cabinet rank.

Other state ministers promoted to cabinet rank  are ministers of state for Vocational Education and Skill Development Abhishek Mishra, minister of state for Social Welfare and SC/ST Narendra Verma and minister of state for Health and Family Welfare Sankh lal Manjhi.

The CM needs to re-jig his cabinet as he has to give cabinet rank portfolios to all these ministers. “The pitrapaksh endstomorrow so we can expect portfolio distribution by Saturday,” the source said.