The Lok Sabha election results in Uttar Pradesh signify a dramatic change in the state’s political fabric, with Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party springing up a surprise and making eminent electoral gains against the powerful BJP. Samajwadi Party won 37 out of the 80 seats – making this its biggest performance ever in the state in Lok Sabha elections and succeeded in breaking the social engineering of BJP through the PDA (Backward-Dalit-Minority) formula. Now Kaushal Kishore, a former Union Minister in the Modi government, is going on a DPA (Dalit-Backward-Forward) journey to counter the PDA formula. This is being called BJP’s backdoor plan. The loss of the OBC and Dalit vote bank in the Lok Sabha elections shook the BJP to its core, as the party fell from 62 to 33 seats. BJP is constantly churning politics over UP and planning to regain its lost political base. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya met BJP president J.P. Nadda on July 16, as the party works out its strategy following its poor performance in the crucial State in the Lok Sabha elections. However, Maurya’s differences with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are widely acknowledged even within the party, and his comment at a state party meeting that “organisation is always bigger than government and no one can be bigger than the organisation” was seen by many political watchers as a message to the UP CM. Maurya had made the remarks in presence of Adityanath and Nadda, while the chief minister blamed “over-confidence” for the electoral reverses in the state and suggested that the party could not effectively counter the opposition INDIA bloc’s campaign. The buzz is that BJP high command may appoint OBC leader Keshav Prasad Maurya as the new UP state president and Yogi Adityanath will continue as the Chief Minister who has aggressively pursued the party’s Hindutva agenda and maintained a firm grip on law and order.
CONGRESS LAUNCHES MASSIVE CAMPAIGN IN HARYANA BEFORE ASSEMBLY POLLS
The political temperature is soaring up in Haryana as Assembly polls are scheduled later this year. The faction-ridden Congress will be emphasizing the caste census, unemployment, price rise, Agniveer and farmers’ issues, while BJP is geared to retain power in the state by changing its Chief Minister ML Khattar, a Punjabi Khatri, by Nayab Singh Saini, who belongs to an OBC community, just ahead of Lok Sabha elections in a bid to woo backward community voters. Meanwhile, Congress is banking on the leadership of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda who had launched his ‘Haryana Maange Hisaab’ with his son and Lok Sabha MP Deepender Hooda. They had started a padayatra in rural areas to attract voters while Lok Sabha MP Kumari Shelja will start her padayatra in days to come to connect with Haryana’s urban voters Through the “Padyatra”, the message of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will be communicated to every voter and they will be informed in detail about the BJP’s misrule in the last 10 years.
YOGI ADITYANATH ORGANISING BIG PREPARATIONS FOR ASSEMBLY BYPOLLS
In the wake of 10 MLAs from Uttar Pradesh winning seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the state is gearing up for by-elections and the contest is expected to be another fierce battle between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition INDIA bloc. It is a do or die situation for the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who is already facing criticism within the BJP over the Lok Sabha polls setback in the state and the allegation that bureaucrats were giving the short shrift to party leaders and workers. Trying to send a message to party leaders that he was serious about the by-elections, Adityanath called his ministers on Wednesday to seek their feedback on the political dynamics in the 10 vacant seats for which the Election Commission could announce the dates soon. Sources in the BJP said the CM had asked the 30 ministers to start campaigning and monitor electioneering. He has assigned three ministers to each of the 10 Assembly seats. Out of 10 assembly seats, it’s Ayodhya’s Milkipur assembly seat which will be BJP’s target after suffering defeat in Ayodhya despite the makeover of the city and construction of the Ram temple.
BENGAL CM MAMATA BANERJEE MAY MEET SONIA GANDHI DURING HER DELHI VISIT
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will pay a visit to Delhi on July 25 to hold a meeting with TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and finalise the party’s strategy on the floor of the House for the Parliament session. CM is likely to see senior INDIA BLOC leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, during her Delhi visit. She is likely to have separate meeting with PM Narendra Modi. She will also be attending the NITI Aayog meeting, to be chaired by PM Narendra Modi on July 27. It is expected that she would plead for funds for rural housing and MGNREGS work.
NITISH KUMAR WANTS SARYU RAI TO BE ACCOMODARED IN BJP LIST FOR JHARKHAND POLLS
Ahead of Jharkhand assembly elections, Jharkhand MLA Saryu Rai of BJMO interacted with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and both parties agreed to contest the assembly elections together. BJP, which is making all efforts to regain Jharkhand from Soren and his team, is facing this problem of accommodating Rai ., The BJP requires the support of Nitish Kumar at the center and Bihar. For this, BJP will have to readily accept Kumar’s decision to include Rai in the alliance. Saryu Rai, left the BJP and formed his own party Bharatiya Janata Morcha (BJMO).
SAMAJWADI PARTY TO CONTEST IN MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
After SP-Congress alliance outperformed the ruling NDA alliance in Uttar Pradesh , winning 43 seats (37 by SP and six by Congress) , and NDA secured only 36. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, seeks expansion plan of his party and is expected to demand a share of seats in Maharashtra , where Congress is a major force. According to sources, SP is expecting for 4 to 8 seats in Maharashtra. This move mirrors Congress’s request for a share in the 10 seats up for grabs in the upcoming by-polls to the UP assembly. According to sources SP could offer 2 to 3 seats to Congress party and SP will fight on 7 to 8 seats. The assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Haryana are scheduled to take place later this year, while the UP by polls are taking place simultaneously or earlier. (IPA Service)
Yogi Adityanath’s New Order On Eateries Raises Political Heat In Uttar Pradesh 