BJP’s Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary Meets PM Modi Amid Uttar Pradesh Party Tensions
Lucknow, 17th July 2024: Amidst internal tensions within the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, state party president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Wednesday.
This meeting followed separate discussions between Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, and BJP national president J P Nadda on Tuesday. These talks occurred in the wake of unexpected losses in the state during the Lok Sabha elections, highlighting discord within the party.
Deputy Chief Minister Maurya, who had previously stated that the party organization is more significant than the government—seen by many as a critique of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath—reiterated this sentiment on X. He posted, “Sangathan sarkar se badaa hai; karyakartaon ka dard mera dard hai; sangathan se koi badaa nahin, karyakarta hi gaurav hai,” emphasizing the primacy of the party and the importance of its workers.
Maurya had made similar remarks at a state party meeting attended by Nadda, where Adityanath attributed the electoral losses to “over-confidence” and the party’s inability to counter the INDIA bloc’s campaign effectively.
Sources indicate that the BJP’s central leadership has advised Maurya to refrain from statements that could jeopardize the party’s prospects.
The central leadership’s engagement with Chaudhary, known for his measured and objective approach, suggests efforts to stabilize the party against a revitalized Opposition in the state.
On Wednesday, Adityanath held a ministerial meeting to assign responsibilities for the upcoming by-elections for 10 Assembly seats. Notably, both his deputies, Maurya and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, were absent. The Election Commission is expected to announce the by-election dates soon.
In addition to Maurya, Ramesh Chandra Mishra, the party’s MLA from Badlapur, recently commented on the party’s challenges and urged central intervention. He later clarified that his remarks were misunderstood. BJP MLC Devendra Pratap Singh also wrote to Adityanath, criticizing the government’s functioning and alleging disrespect towards party workers.
On Monday, Sanjay Nishad, a minister in the UP government and chief of the NISHAD Party, criticized the misuse of bulldozers against the poor, warning that such actions could backfire politically.
Under mounting pressure, the state government has paused two recent initiatives—the demolition of the Kukrail River project and the digitization of teachers’ attendance at government schools.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has accused the BJP of infighting, claiming it is detrimental to public welfare. “In this fight for power, it is the people of Uttar Pradesh who are suffering,” he stated.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s seats dropped from 62 out of 80 in 2019 to 33, with the SP securing 37 seats and the Congress winning six in alliance with the SP.
