Twelve new ministers were inducted into the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Saturday, in what is considered a major reshuffle before the state elections in 2017. The move comes after chief minister Akhilesh Yadav sacked eight ministers on Thursday and stripped nine ministers of their portfolios for poor performance. Nine other ministers were also promoted.

The new cabinet includes senior Akali Dal leader Balwant Singh Ramuwalia, who has been a long-term aide of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s, but quit his party to join Yadav. Hindustan Times reported that the cabinet reshuffle was to give the council of ministers a younger look, and to change its caste and regional equilibrium. The move is also considered an attempt to break away from a cabinet that was close to Mulayam Singh Yadav, and is Akhilesh Yadav’s attempt to get out from under the shadow of his family.