The 44-year-old chief minister conducted a detailed assessment of all ministries in the state and non-performers have been axed, the sources said.

Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, has sacked eight ministers and taken away the portfolios of another nine as he prepares for a major reshuffle on the weekend. Mr Yadav is planning to induct several new faces, sources said.The 44-year-old chief minister conducted a detailed assessment of all ministries in the state and non-performers have been axed, the sources said.The move is seen as part of the ruling Samajwadi Party's preparations for the next assembly elections due in 2017. In the reshuffle planned for Saturday, Mr Yadav will also attempt to balance caste and community representation in his council of ministers, a senior Samajwadi Party leader said.The rejig is also seen as the Chief Minister's attempt to assert that he calls the shots in the government. Since he took over, Akhilesh Yadav has functioned under the giant shadow of his father and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has been accused of running the UP government as a super chief minister. His two brothers and the chief minister's uncles Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Yadav too wield disproportionate influence.Political rivals allege that multiple power centres have led to disarray in the Akhilesh Yadav government, which has also been attacked for failing to curb crime in the state.With the reshuffle, Mr Yadav junior hopes to improve the image of his government in the run-up to the 2017 elections, when the Samajwadi Party will take on a BJP determined to build on its success in last year's national election. The BJP swept the state winning 71 of UP's 80 seats.The chief minister - who stormed to power in 2012 on a promise of better law and order in India's most populous state - is now said to be worried about an anti-incumbency sentiment. The poor performance of schemes launched by it, especially in rural UP, is said to be a matter of much concern for the state government.That worry is reflected in today's sackings - among those removed are the ministers who had charge of welfare, stamp and technical education. Five of the eight are of cabinet rank. The nine stripped of their portfolios will function as ministers without charge, government sources said.