Yogi Adityanath vs Keshav Maurya in UP: BJP eyes balancing act amid brewing dissent, may appoint OBC leader as state chief

A review of the performance of the National Democratic Alliance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh appears to have opened a can of worms for the ruling alliance in the state. The reviews appeared to reveal a fractured house with deep divisions running not just between the allies and the BJP, but also within the party’s own ranks.

While allies like the Sanjay Nishad-led NISHAD party and the Anupriya Patel-led Apna Dal (Sonelal) have been critical of the BJP and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya sparked a buzz with his continued absence from key meetings of the state cabinet. Reports also indicate that Maurya had openly lashed out at CM Adityanath during a meeting of the Uttar Pradesh BJP Executive Committee in Lucknow recently.

Maurya’s outburst came amid reports of disenchantment with the state government within a large section of the party organisation over the manner of the Chief Minister’s functioning. “The pain of the BJP cadre and mine is the same. “The organisation is bigger than the government. Nobody is bigger than the organisation,” Maurya, who was once a claimant to the CM’s post, said at the party meet.

The remarks were seen as an obvious reference to Yogi Adtyanath and a divergence from the latter’s own assertions that “overconfidence” and the failure on part of allies to garner the votes of their respective communities was behind the party’s dismal performance in the elections.

As the rift played out in the open, the BJP high command sprang into damage control mode with party president JP Nadda meeting Maurya and state unit chief Bhupendra Singh meeting Prime Minister narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday. The meeting also came in the backdrop of reports indicating that the BJP’s central leadership was considering a reshuffle within the party organisation owing to the ongoing crisis.

The reshuffle, reports Hindustan Times, may also see Maurya being handed an important organisational position. Notably, Maurya is an influential OBC face of the BJP in the state and enjoys the strong backing of the party’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The NDTV reported that the BJP may appoint an OBC leader as the president of its state unit, replacing Chaudhary who hails from the Jat community.

Contrary to rumours that Yogi Adityanath is likely to be replaced, the central leadership has no plan to effect any changes at the top leadership at the moment, reports said.

In the Lok Sabha elections held recently, the BJP’s tally fell to 33 seats from 62 seats in the 2019 elections. The BJP’s dismal performance in Uttar Pradesh also reflected in the drop in its own tally from 303 in 2019 to 240 seats in the 2024 general elections.

The developments come as the BJP goes all out to bounce back from the Lok Sabha setback and get back on its feet ahead of the UP Assembly elections in 2027. Other Backward Classes, that form a major chunk of UP’s population and wield significant influence in the poll outcomes. A major chunk of this bloc, which had backed BJP in the elections held since 2014, drifted to the Samajwadi Party which made impressive gains in the state in the general elections.

The alleged infighting within the BJP also allowed the Opposition party to take potshots at the ruling alliance. “BJP leaders are fighting among themselves. The people know about the corruption and are fed up with the game of thrones,” Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Wednesday.

The remark was met with a sharp retort from the Deputy CM who dismissed the Oppositions’s allegations against the party and the government. “The return of SP’s reign of goons in UP is impossible. BJP will repeat 2017 in the 2027 state polls,” Kehsav Prasad Maurya said in a post on X.