Maya's Man Friday takes oath as Cabinet minister

Lucknow, May 16 (UNI) Satish Chandra Mishra, who helped Chief Minister Mayawati successfully play the Brahmin card in the just held assembly elections, was sworn in as a cabinet minister this evening.

He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor T V Rajeswar.

Sources indicate he is tipped to be the deputy chief minister.

During the oath taking ceremony of Ms Mayawati as the 33rd Chief Minister of the state on May 13, Mr Mishra's name had not figured in the list of 19 cabinet ministers sworn in that day.

On Sunday, a total of 49 ministers, including cabinet ministers, ministers of state (Independent charge) and ministers of state had taken oath of office and secrecy.

With the induction of Mr Mishra, the strength of the Mayawati council of ministers has remained unchanged as a few hours ago, cabinet minister Sukhdev Rajbhar resigned from his post. He is likely to be elected as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on May 18. A decision to elect him as Speaker was taken at an all-party meet here.

A former Advocate General of the Uttar Pradesh government and a former chairman of UP Bar Council, Satish Chandra Mishra is at present a Rajya Sabha member and BSP national general secretary.

Son of Justice Tribeni Sahai Misra, Mr Mishra had won for Ms Mayawati the Supreme Court case involving defected BSP MLAs. He is also fighting the case related to Taj Heritage Corridor (THC) in which the CBI is awaiting sanction by the UP Governor to prosecute Ms Mayawati.

He was made party's national general secretary in July, 2004.

Mr Mishra had said, when he was given party post, that Mayawati indicated him about a misconception that she was against Brahmins or high castes.

It was Mr Mishra who actually helped Mayawati to transform BSP as the collective force of the Brahmins, Dalits and others.

Brahmins command 13.8 per cent vote share in the state.

Mishra travelled 22,000 km across the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh holding BSP Brahmin sammelans between July 1, 2006 and September 15, 2006.

He is the man who can be termed the chief architect of the Brahmin participation in BSP's victory. Mr Mishra had been holding a number of Brahmin sammelans all over the state for past two years to mobilise the community in favour of the party and had succeeded in his endeavour.

UNI