India, March 20 -- The Uttarakhand government on Friday expanded its cabinet, with five MLAs taking oath as ministers in a move seen as politically significant ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.

Governor Gurmit Singh (retd) administered the oath of office to Bhimtal MLA Ram Singh Kaida, Rajpur MLA Khajan Das, Haridwar MLA Madan Kaushik, Roorkee MLA Pradeep Batra, and Rudraprayag MLA Bharat Singh Chaudhary.

The expansion comes as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepares for the 2027 assembly elections, aiming to secure a third consecutive term in the state. Political observers said the move is expected to help balance regional and caste equations, which are considered crucial in Uttarakhand's electoral landscape.

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