By Sushil Kutty
Who benefits from blaming Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the BJP’s poor Lok Sabha polls performance in Uttar Pradesh? As things have moved, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya is the dark horse though Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also talked about as somebody who gains from a downgraded Yogi. OBC heavyweight Keshav Prasad Maurya has long held a grudge that Yogi Adityanath walked away with the Chief Minister’s post after he, Keshav Prasad Maurya, won the state for the BJP in 2017. The saffron-clad Yogi came out of the blue and became Chief Minister, when Maurya was the head of the UP unit of the BJP.
Since then, Keshav Prasad Maurya was waiting for the right time, which came after the recent Lok Sabha elections with the BJP unable to match its 2019 performance. There have been allegations that the “disconnect between the BJP cadre and the Yogi-led government” led to the 2024 UP debacle. The dismal performance, compared to that of the Samajwadi Party, exposed the soft underbelly of the ruling party in the state and at the Centre. It has also been alleged that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been resorting to startling measures to regain his primacy and popularity among Hindu voters.
The way the BJP top-brass is behaving, the BJP’s sub-par showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has dealt Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath a bigger jolt than to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had kept up the refrain “Modi ki guarantee” and “abki baar 400 paar” throughout the BJP’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh and other states. And now the hammer has fallen not on Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah but on the ascetic who holds the state in his fist, undoubtedly the most powerful politician in Uttar Pradesh. There is a widespread view that in terms of popularity, the Yogi beats Modi hands down.
Does that make Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath rivals? What role does Union Home Minister Amit Shah have in the UP turmoil? Apparently, Shah has a soft corner for Keshav Prasad Maurya and Maurya is in the eye of the cyclone now skimming over Yogi Adityanath’s clean-shaven head. Throughout the current turmoil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have been lackadaisical and seemingly uninterested, unmindful of what befell Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath even as this attitude compelled Yogi Adityanath to go on the offensive.
The Yogi’s strategy revolves around meetings with current and former MLAs, MPs and MLCs and making himself more popular with the BJP’s Hindu votebank, which was in two minds when voting for or not voting for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. The Yogi’s meetings with MLAs and MPs haven’t cleared the air. The next assembly elections are in 2027 and what could happen now is a change of guard, which could mean only one thing – Yogi Adityanath making way to Keshav Prasad Maurya, who is being told of the many innovative ways he could become Chief Minister.
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav’s “Monsoon Offer” to Keshav Prasad Maurya, asking him to “Sau Lao Sarkar Banao” is right up Maurya’s alley. But the Deputy Chief Minister is staying put with the BJP; perhaps, with the assurance that the strategy to wear down Yogi Adityanath will work for him. How long can the Chief Minister hang on with his resolve? The “feedback” from MLAs/MPs/MLCs hasn’t helped. The accusing finger, more often than not, is found pointing to Yogi Adityanath, which could be part of a strategy to oust him with the least resistance. Meanwhile, a “future roadmap” can be held at bay.
In the 2022 assembly elections, Yogi Adityanath had proved himself by winning 255 of the 403 assembly seats against Akhilesh Yadav’s tally of 111 and the Congress’ two. Then, there was no move to replace him as there was no Lok Sabha elections in 2022. Things turned to “turmoil” in 2024 only because there were Lok Sabha elections and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was asking for votes in his name, but failed to get “abki baar 400 paar”. There wouldn’t have been the Uttar Pradesh turmoil if Narendra Modi hadn’t lost face along with tonnes of votes. The critical eye had to shift from Modi to Yogi, a scapegoat had to be found to save the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)! (IPA Service)
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