After two-day meetings with senior party leaders in Lucknow, BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh praised various works done by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath through a tweet, dropping a bold hint that the party was willing to go for the 2022 UP Assembly elections under the present incumbent’s leadership.
In his tweet, Santosh wrote, “In five weeks, UP has reduced the number of new corona cases by 93 per cent. Remember this is a state with a 20-plus crore population. When the CM of the municipality could not handle the city with a population of 1.5 crore, Yogi ji managed very effectively.”
Earlier on May 31, Santosh, along with UP incharge Radha Mohan Singh, started a review meeting which was initially slated for two days but was later extended by another day. Since the meeting started, the grapevine was abuzz with the possibility of Yogi facing the axe for his style of functioning that had led to a communication gap between the government and the party.
The timing of the review meeting was crucial as it was convened at a time when the criticism of the government’s handling of COVID-19 crisis skyrocketed. Images of bodies floating in the Ganga river or buried in shallow graves raised questions on Yogi’s leadership.
What added fuel to the fire were the various statements of BJP lawmakers, including Union minister Santosh Gangwar, who raised questions on Covid management in the state. BJP MP Kaushal Kishore, who had demanded the cancellation of panchayat polls, blamed Yogi after the infection spread to villages and caused deaths.
When asked, a senior BJP leader posed a counter, “Where was the question of changing the chief minister? Yes, there could be a cabinet reshuffle or change in the party structure. That can happen because sometimes changes are mandatory as per the changing situations. That can and should happen. But changing the chief minister at this juncture is not advisable. If the high command wanted to change the CM, it could have done a year ago, but with elections seven months away, it would be a political hara-kiri.”
However, in off-the-record chats, BJP leaders have been admitting that there has been dis-enchantment among the Brahmins against Yogi, who is a Thakur by caste. The allegation flying thick and fast was that the Thakurs were getting prominence in this government. Those from the Backward castes also felt sidelined in the last four-and-a-half years of Yogi rule.
There is a belief that to assuage these grievances there could be a cabinet reshuffle at the Centre as well as in the state and leaders of particular castes could be given prominence. The leaders of caste-based parties like Apna Dal and Nishad party and caste leaders within BJP would be given prominence. It is for sure that the cabinet reshuffle can also see the induction of retired bureaucrat-turned-MLC AK Sharma into the Yogi cabinet.
Sharma, a close lieutenant of Modi, left the civil services to join the BJP in January this year and the very next day, he was made an MLC. It fuelled rumours that he would be made a minister and might be given Deputy CM’s rank in the cabinet.
In mid-May, Sharma had a 15-minute meeting with Yogi which led to speculations that he could be included in the ministry. “Cabinet expansion is on the cards. We have lost three cabinet ministers to corona and the CM has not allocated their portfolios to anyone. Just wait and watch,” a BJP leader said.
In the meantime, after the panchayat poll debacle, the BJP has started its rural outreach programme where the leaders and workers have been asked to go to villages and distribute masks, sanitisers and immunity boosters across rural Uttar Pradesh.
“We have been told to reach out to the masses and serve the villagers. Elaborate programme has been chalked out and we will go to villages and serve the poor,” Law minister Brajesh Pathak told this reporter.
Another minister who attended the meeting veered around the possible third wave of corona and how to protect villagers, election of district panchayat chiefs and solving the problems of the party workers.