New Delhi/Lucknow: A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced that Pushkar Singh Dhami would be back as Uttarakhand chief minister despite losing his own seat in the recent assembly elections, it is likely to repeat the exercise in Uttar Pradesh too.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, a prominent OBC (Other Backward Class) face of the BJP and one of the two deputy chief ministers in Yogi Adityanath’s first government, is likely to retain the chair, senior BJP leaders told ThePrint.
Dhami’s reinstatement is a “good sign” for Maurya, who lost the election from Sirathu seat, a senior party leader said, adding that after this decision, Maurya is also expected to get another chance.
“He worked tirelessly in the elections and also lost his seat by a slim margin. A final decision on this will be taken by the central leadership,” the leader further said.
“Just as Dhami played a crucial role in Uttarakhand elections, Maurya ji held many public rallies. After the exit of Swami Prasad Maurya and other OBC leaders, there were concerns that this vote bank will slip further, but due to the presence of Maurya as a tall leader, the voters reposed their faith in the party.”
According to another BJP leader, what makes the case stronger for Maurya is that unlike Dhami, there is no need for Maurya to contest the bypolls as UP has a bicameral legislature, which means he can always become a member of the Legislative Council.
“He can easily make his way through the upper house and the need for an election won’t arise,” another party leader said.
The general feeling among the party leadership is that since Maurya has been elevated to the rank of deputy CM, removing him altogether from the cabinet would send a very bad signal to OBC voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“Retaining him as a cabinet minister will be a signal that he has been demoted of sorts. The party is very careful about symbolism ahead of the Lok Sabha polls,” a BJP leader from UP told ThePrint.
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Dilemma about the other deputy CM
While many in the party are confident that Maurya will be included in the cabinet and is likely to be made deputy CM once again, the party is said to be in a dilemma over whether to continue with Dinesh Chandra Sharma, who served as the other deputy CM.
“If Maurya will be made the deputy CM, there’s no reason why Sharma will be dropped. Some names are definitely doing the rounds including that of Baby Rani Maurya, but there is no clarity on this yet,” said the first BJP leader quoted earlier.
However, another party member said it is the central leadership that will take a call on Maurya’s inclusion. “The anti-Maurya group has expressed reservation over his inclusion and also want new faces to be given a chance. The high-command will decide.”
According to party sources, ever since the declaration of the UP assembly poll results on 10 March, Maurya has been busy meeting newly-elected MLAs, BJP’s candidates for MLC polls and other state party leaders.
Speculation about number of deputy CMs, new faces for cabinet
With Yogi Adityanath’s second ministry set to take oath on 25 March, speculation is rife about the possibility of the BJP opting for three deputy CMs, along with the incorporation of several new faces in cabinet.
The names doing the rounds include that of former Uttarakhand governor and BJP’s Jatav face Baby Rani Maurya, BJP UP state president Swatantra Dev Singh, former IAS officer A.K. Sharma, Ghaziabad MLA Sunil Sharma, and ex-joint director of the Enforcement Directorate Rajeshwar Singh.
Two lists of the Yogi 2.0 cabinet, confirmed as “fake” by BJP state spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi, are in circulation on social media.
BJP leaders said changes are likely even at the last moment.
“There was a lot said about the CM face after the 2017 elections. One leader even went to the Kashi Vishwanath temple to take blessings but you see what happened. One call was made to Yogi ji and the entire situation changed. This speculation should not be trusted till the time an official announcement is made,” a senior state leader told ThePrint.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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