Since the BJP executive meeting in Lucknow on July 14, political activity in Uttar Pradesh has intensified. Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak seem to have openly challenged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Labeling this as rebellion would be incorrect because they are not defying the party nor making statements against the CM. They are merely demonstrating their power. In just 10 days, Maurya has shared photos of himself with nearly 43 MLAs, 2 MLCs, and about 10 ministers on social media. If this isn’t an open challenge, what is?
Since losing the Lok Sabha elections, the UP BJP has been in turmoil. Both Deputy CMs were absent from Yogi Adityanath's first cabinet meeting post-election results. During the BJP executive meeting, it seemed like Maurya sounded the bugle of dissent. The issue reached Delhi, making it to BJP President JP Nadda and PM Narendra Modi, yet there’s been no change in the behavior of the two Deputy CMs. Despite Delhi's intervention, they continue to seize every opportunity to subtly undermine Adityanath's authority.
Within 10 Days: Around 43 MLAs and 10 Ministers Visited Maurya’s Camp Office
Post-July 14, around 43 MLAs, 2 MLCs, and 10 ministers have visited Keshav Prasad Maurya’s camp office. This includes three union ministers. Additionally, numerous state MPs, former MPs, and former MLAs have met him. Members of the state and district-level organizations also visit him continuously. This is not happening covertly; photos are taken openly each day. This suggests that Maurya aims to display the number of party members supporting him. Whether this power display is aimed at the central leaders, Yogi Adityanath, or both remains for him to clarify. Below are the names of the MLAs Maurya posted alongside on his social media. Bear in mind, these MLAs may also align with Adityanath if needed, as politics is all about symbolism, which is exactly what Maurya is playing with. Let's see how successful he becomes.
Source: aajtak
From July 14 to July 24, here are the names of the dignitaries who visited Keshav Prasad Maurya’s camp office and had their photos clicked with the Deputy Chief Minister, shared on social media:
MLAs-
1- Mahesh Chandra Gupta 2- Ajay Singh 3- Anil Kumar Maurya 4- Krishna Paswan 5- Akash Saxena 6- Rajiv Tarara 7- Suresh Pasi 8- Mahendra Singh Khargwanshi 9- Manish Rawat 10- Ashutosh Maurya 11- Surendra Chaudhary 12- Umesh Dwivedi 13- Gauri Shankar Verma 14- Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha 15- Devendra Pratap Singh 16- Kailash Singh Rajput 17- Pawan Singh Chauhan 18- Ramchandra Yadav 19- Ashok Kumar 20- D.C. Verma 21- P. N. Pathak 22- Sushil Kumar Shakya 23- Amit Singh Chauhan 24- Moolchandra Niranjan 25- Lakshmi Raj Singh 26- Surendra Chaurasia 27- Shalabh Mani Tripathi 28- Sabha Kunwar Kushwaha 29- Deepak Kumar Mishra 30- Ashwini Tyagi 31- Poonam Shankhwar 32- Lalji Prasad Nirmal 33- Vikas Gupta 34- Subhash Tripathi 35- Piyush Ranjan Nishad 36- Sitaram Verma 37- Ramakrishn Bhargav 38- Ajay Singh 39- Ommani Verma 40- Surender Kushwaha 41- Ganesh Singh Chauhan 42- Mukesh Chaudhary 43- Surendra Maithani 44- Bahoran Lal Maurya (Legislative Council Member) 45- Hansraj Vishwakarma (Legislative Council Member)
Ministers-
1- Cabinet Minister Dr. Sanjay Nishad
2- State Minister Narendra Kashyap
3- Cabinet Minister Dara Singh Chauhan
4- Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar
5- Suryapratap Shahi
6- State Minister Vijayashri Gautam
7- Manohar Lal "Mannu Kori"
8- State Minister (Independent Charge) Narendra Kumar Kashyap
9- Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary
10- Central State Minister Kamlesh Paswan
MPs-
1- Kanwar Singh Tanwar 2- Naveen Jain 3- Jagdambika Pal
Keshav and Pathak Avoid Tagging Yogi for State Works
Keshav Prasad Maurya shares photos and information related to state governance and development on his social media but avoids tagging the Uttar Pradesh government or CM Yogi Adityanath. Both Deputy CMs, Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, are using this tactic. They tag PM Modi, BJP, etc., for actions related to their cabinet but avoid tagging CM Yogi or the UP government altogether. They also consistently retweet posts from PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and JP Nadda but never retweet Yogi Adityanath’s posts. This includes matters related to UP governance.
Source: aajtak
Brajesh Pathak, the second Deputy CM, follows Maurya's approach. He too, despite sharing tweets related to Uttar Pradesh, does not tag Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This clearly indicates that the relationship between CM Yogi Adityanath and the two Deputy CMs is not cordial.
Source: aajtak
