The Uttar Pradesh BJP chief, Bhupinder Singh, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him of the internal discord within the state unit following the Lok Sabha election results. There has been a flurry of meetings over the past few days where discordant voices were heard.
Among the many reasons articulated for the BJP’s poor performance in the state is a disconnect between the party cadre and the voters. Several BJP leaders publicly remarked that the government machinery did not listen to the workers, which led to disenchantment. UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya’s remark that "organisation was bigger than the government" was seen as a jibe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Maurya had also skipped cabinet meetings chaired by Yogi, indicating that all was not well within the country’s most politically important state.
Sources said the discussions in the last couple of days centred around distributing responsibility and giving wider representation to leaders. This could result in changes in the party’s state unit and a reshuffle in Yogi’s Cabinet.
After the debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, Yogi Adityanath has shifted focus to the upcoming by-elections for 10 seats vacated by MLAs who have now become MPs after winning in the 2024 elections. The by-elections have become a prestige battle for Yogi as the results would have a direct bearing on his ability to swing the voters. Yogi had allotted each of the 10 seats to his ministerial colleagues.
The stakes are high for Yogi. The by-election results are likely to be billed as a referendum on his government. Any adverse result, and Yogi Adityanath’s position may come under scrutiny.
The BJP, still smarting from the Lok Sabha results, would have to find its verve in the state, which has emerged as the prime mover in the last seven years. Some BJP leaders attribute the election losses to overconfidence and the complexities of caste politics. BJP ally Sanjay Nishad recently commented that demolition drives will prove to be detrimental to their political survival.
Another BJP ally, Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel, leader of the Apna Dal (S), publicly expressed concerns about government jobs reserved for OBCs and SCs being occupied by general category applicants in Uttar Pradesh.
Yogi has maintained silence on the discordant voices in the party, instead focusing on the upcoming polls. After Maurya’s statement, many MLAs also hinted that bureaucracy was much stronger in the state under Yogi’s rule, while the political class was being ignored.
Following criticism, the UP government has also halted demolition plans along the Kukrail river and plans to conduct biometric attendance in schools. This was done to allay fears among people who were being adversely impacted, which may have reflected in sentiment against the government.
The churn within the UP BJP may have a bearing on how the party does course correction to stem any decline in its political graph.
To send a message to the party workers and cadre, PM Modi is expected to meet the party’s employees at the headquarters on Thursday. Sources said that Modi may also hold meetings with the party chief ministers and deputy CMs to review the 2024 polls.
