Amidst the ongoing political turmoil in Uttar Pradesh BJP, where both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah making hectic efforts to dislodge Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath making him liable for the party’s worst debacle in recent Lok Sabha elections in the state, Adityanath is asserting himself.
Moreover, his supporters are blaming that it was Modi and Amit Shah’s involvement in candidate selections making Yogi silent spectator cost the party and the party cadre rejected their mischievous politics in the state.
By holding a series of meetings before crucial scheduled by-elections for 10 assembly seats in the state, Adityanath is attempting to ascertain his grip over UP politics. In recent Lok Sabha polls BJP was reduced to 33 seats, a drop of 29 seats from 2019. The INDIA bloc gained ground with the Samajwadi Party (SP) securing a win on 37 seats, a jump of 32 seats as compared to 2019, and the Congress winning on six seats.
However, two Deputy Chief Ministers are missing from these meetings convened by Yogi Adityanath. Both of them distance themselves from these meetings one after the other. On one hand, while Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya was absent from the Prayagraj division meeting on Thursday, Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak did not attend the Lucknow division meeting on Friday.
Just ahead of Adityanath about to hold a meeting with the MLAs of Lucknow division, Brijesh Pathak has left for Delhi. Incidentally, he is also an MLA from Lucknow Cantt., besides Chief Minister of the state.
In this sequence, on July 24, he held a meeting with the MLAs of Moradabad and Bareilly division. On July 25, he held a meeting with the MLAs of Meerut and Prayagraj division, after which the meeting was held with the MLAs of Lucknow division. Soon after Lok Sabha results, Keshav Prasad Maurya has been spending most of time in Delhi, lobbying with national leaders to replace Yogi.
Amit Shah is said to be keen to make Maurya as the Chief Minister. Though he was defeated in last assembly elections, party high-command makes him Deputy Chief Minister, sending him to the Legislative Council. He has emerged as a vocal critic of Yogi’s policies, but is lacking support from the party cadre or image among the public.