Factionalism takes sting off Yogi Adiyanath Government
The murmur of dissent and dissatisfaction among the Yogi Cabinet members are tumbling out in public domain thick and fast over the manner the Chief Minister is taking all decisions himself without consulting any ministers or giving them importance. While the newly elected Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath is going the whole hog to outshine any challenges coming from party disgruntled lot the Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya is feeling rather ignored and out of place in the present scheme of things. Winning state polls as BJP Pradesh President and an OBC face of the party, K P Maurya was a strong contender for the top slot and is feeling neglected and sidelined as the party insiders reveal that he may be sent to Centre to contain factionalism within the party.
Uttar Pradesh politics is rife with the speculation that K P Maurya has opposed to the move of sending him at Centre as he believes if he goes to Delhi he will be rendered irrelevant in the state politics. Secondly, he has consolidated his base as a factional leader who listens and sympathises with the dissenting voices against the Chief Minister’s high handiness. If sources are to be believed indications are that the Deputy CM has created a base of over 200 MLAs who support him for the cause of countering Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s behaviour towards party members.
According to top party sources, dissentient has reached to such level that the party General Secretary Sunil Bansal has brought the issue to BJP President Amit Shah to solve the containment among party brass. As per party strategy, K P Maurya will not vacate his Parliamentary seat Phulpur to be grabbed by BSP Supremo Mayawati, who is eying seat after resigning from Rajya Sabha. Party thinks by calling Maurya to Centre will fix both the vexing issues in one go. The move will quell the dissentient and factionalism in the state BJP and it will stall Mayawati’s chances of contesting from Phulpur if she so desires.
Both Yogi and Maurya are expected to vacate their seats as the Member of Parliament (MP) from Gorakhpur and Phulpur, respectively, to continue their terms in the state. With the conclusion of the Presidential elections and Ram Nath Kovind takes office as the President, the Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah is now focusing more on Uttar Pradesh where Adityanath and Maurya are set to face poll battles once again.
There have been widespread speculations that the BSP supremo might attempt to regain entry in the House by contesting the by-poll with a rare opposition alliance with Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress. However, BJP has refuted any such possibilities and has stated that there are no reasons for the saffron party to be concerned of, as the chances of Mayawati contesting the elections are very less. Senior party leaders claimed that while Mayawati always chooses to contest from a safe seat, she won’t be risking fighting from one of BJP’s stronghold, losing which might take her into political oblivion.
Over possibilities that the BJP might offer a ministerial berth to K P Maurya at the Centre and ask him to retain his seat as the MP from Phulpur, party Chief Amit Shah ruled out any chances of moving Maurya to Delhi. Stating all such claims as media speculations, Shah claimed that the Deputy CM will soon be relieved of his duties as the state President and will be allowed to work free from party responsibilities.
By: Priyam Mukhopadhyay