CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: 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.