Lucknow: A strong power struggle is underway in Uttar Pradesh between civil servants, many of whom are seen to be close to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s office, and BJP politicians.
When the chief minister ordered that senior officials should take calls to their internal phones, senior UP BJP leader and former BJP MLA from Manikpur constituency of Banda district Anand Shukla posted the news clip on his X account and wrote that “Banda’s District Magistrate does not follow even the chief minister’s order. He does not even call back. SDM and other officials are doing the same. It almost feels like they’ve taken it upon themselves to ensure this government fails.”
Shukla isn’t the only one in Banda who feels this way. Another MLA from the district, Prakash Dwivedi, says the same. According to him, officials often ignore elected public representatives. Even when they do answer phone calls, they don’t pay attention to what the representatives are saying. He also recounted an incident from this week, when a video of him confronting and humiliating an SDM went viral.
The incident unfolded when the local police and administration demolished an old house located on the premises of a cooperative society using a bulldozer. The house reportedly belonged to a man named Golu Pandey, who approached Dwivedi and shared his grievance.
In the viral clip, Dwivedi is heard warning Baberu SDM Rajat Verma that he would “set him straight” and “teach him how to do his job” if he continued to act arbitrarily. Dwivedi is the same MLA whose supporters allegedly abused and threatened Naraini SDM Amit Shukla in Banda’s Mahua block. They also reportedly attacked his driver after the officer’s team refused to release two trucks full of seized sand.
While talking to ThePrint, Dwivedi claimed that officials have damaged his reputation by making false accusations against him. He said he was simply raising the concerns of ordinary people.
Nearly 190 kilometers from Banda, state capital Lucknow is also witnessing the ongoing tussle between officers and BJP leaders.
The Municipal Corporation office in Lucknow has seen many angry scenes in the past week. Many councillors of the ruling BJP united and started a protest against Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar. The councilors are upset with the FIR registered against municipal councillor and local BJP leader C.B. Singh after the death of a youth in an open drain in Thakurganj area of Lucknow. They say that “carelessness” of Municipal Corporation officers is to blame, but they are blaming the councillor.
These councillors along with state organisation leaders, met Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak to raise the issue. While speaking to ThePrint, Councillor Shailendra Verma said that during a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, all councillors voiced their dissatisfaction with the working style of Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar. He alleged that the commissioner neither meets them nor answers phone calls. As a result, development work has come to a halt, leaving councillors to face public anger in their respective areas. The Deputy Chief Minister assured them that he would summon the Municipal Commissioner and speak with him about the issue.
Just 90 kilometers from the state capital, Kanpur has also emerged as a flashpoint in the ongoing tussle between elected leaders and government officials. The conflict, which began last month as an internal dispute between District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh and Chief Medical Officer Dr Haridutt Nemi, soon snowballed into a political controversy, with BJP MLAs taking opposing sides. Notably, several BJP leaders, including Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana, backed Dr Nemi and openly criticised the DM.
The situation saw a twist on Wednesday when, following a High Court directive, the suspension order against Dr Nemi was revoked. With the government’s approval, Dr Nemi was reinstated to his post. Meanwhile, Dr Udaynath, who had been serving in his place, has been transferred to Shravasti.
Conflict in eastern UP too
The growing friction between civil servants and public representatives is not limited to Central Uttar Pradesh; a similar pattern is now evident in eastern districts as well. In Deoria, there is tension between District Magistrate Divya Mittal and local BJP MLAs, a conflict that surfaced during a Disha committee meeting on 3 July and continues to simmer.
The meeting, chaired by BJP MP Shashank Mani Tripathi, saw Barhaj MLA Deepak Mishra raising concerns over the delay in the construction of the Karuana Maghara road. He also requested the Basic Education Officer (BSA), Shalini Srivastava, to stop the transfer of a contract employee. However, Srivastava refused, stating she could not intervene and claimed she was being subjected to undue pressure. DM Divya Mittal backed the BSA’s stance, which angered several BJP MLAs and MLCs present at the meeting. In protest, MLA Deepak Mishra walked out mid-session.
Later, Mishra gave a statement. He said, “I know exactly who’s making how much from construction deals. I understand how this system works and I’ll make sure they learn their lesson. If exposing corruption or raising it in the right platforms is considered a crime, then I’m prepared to keep doing it for the rest of my life.”
Most of these incidents district-level conflicts, but similar tensions exist at the state level as well. Recently, a letter from Cabinet Minister Nand Gopal Nandi went viral, in which he levelled serious allegations against officials, accusing them of ignoring government policies, negligence, disobeying ministerial directives, and extending undue benefits to select individuals.
Nandi was the eighth minister in the state who raised questions on officials of his own government in the second tenure of Yogi Adityanath. Before him, Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, Cabinet minister Ashish Patel, Sanjay Nishad, MoS (Independent) Dinesh Pratap Singh, Jaiveer Singh, MoS Dinesh Khatik, and MoS Pratibha Shukla also raised questions about officials on different occasions.
BJP functionaries acknowledge the ongoing tussle but remain hopeful that it will be resolved before the 2027 Assembly elections. A senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh said, “Conflicts between officials and our party leaders have become quite common these days. This is largely because officials have been given too much control. Everyone in the system knows that the bureaucracy is running the show. Transfers, postings, and tenders are being handled without consulting ministers. MLAs and party leaders have very little say. Even for minor tasks, approval has to come from the CMO or top officials. This naturally leads to frustration among leaders, but it’s something we must fix before the 2027 elections.”
When ThePrint contacted UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary, he said that he is aware of some of these developments, but he does not want to say much about it. According to him, these small issues will get resolved in the coming days.
On the other hand, former CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav considers it a serious issue. According to him, Everyone in this government seems to be at odds with one another. “Deputy Chief Ministers are fighting with the Chief Minister, the CM is clashing with MLAs, and MLAs are in constant conflict with officials. It’s become a daily routine, and now even the public is tired of this ongoing drama,” he said.
Political analysts based in Uttar Pradesh see this as a challenging issue for the ruling government. According to Professor Kavir Raj, from the University of Lucknow, “The tussle between officials and political leaders is seen as a negative sign for development. It not only slows down key projects but also damages the government’s public image. In governance, both the bureaucracy and elected representatives play equally important roles. The only way to resolve this issue is through better coordination, and that must be initiated from the top.”
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Kanpur CMO suspended after public spat with DM that exposed UP BJP rift