The UP govt headed by Yogi Adityanath seems to be in soup these days after the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and the eruption of deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya as a rebel against him. He paraded from Lucknow to Delhi within 24 hours and met the party President JP Nadda to ‘highlight’ that BJP workers and politicians aren’t happy with the Chief Minister. All he could get was subtle advice that he shouldn’t say anything on public platforms that impacts the reputation of the BJP.
Arvind Kejriwal, in his first public appearance after getting bail for the election campaign, hinted at Yogi’s upcoming turbulent phase and said that the centre shall sideline or remove Yogi Adityanath after the elections. Delhi CM mentioned Amit Shah’s interest in this issue. But is it a cakewalk for the BJP to remove Yogi from the canvas of politics?
Second biggest star campaigner
After PM Narendra Modi, Adityanath Yogi is considered the biggest star campaigner for the BJP. His popularity can be mapped by the fact that the party receives special demand requests for him to campaign in different states. His stature isn’t limited to UP but is respected and desired in states ranging from Rajasthan to Telangana. While Amit Shah is considered a kingmaker, his campaigns have never had such demands.
He is above castes, Hindu Samrat
While leaders at the centre were discussing their poverty and OBC background, it was Yogi Adityanath who took Hindutva to a new level and formed inclusivity of all the castes that come under this umbrella. He sidelined the much-talked caste discourse and raised the agenda of Hindutva.
Benevolent, Brave, Bold
Yogi Adityanath can be reached by one and all in his popular Yogi Darbar, unlike other ministers who usually forget their voters after making it to the Vidhan Sabha or Lok Sabha. He has taken many bold decisions that have shaken the BJP in the past. His voice was the most prominent when scam-tainted Babu Singh Kushwaha switched from BSP to BJP, Yogi didn’t mince his words and warned the BJP high command against this decision. He outrightly said that if Kushwaha will remain inducted, he will leave the BJP.
Baba against BJP
Yogi Adityanath, also known as Baba rebelled against his own party in 2007 and fielded 70 candidates in the 2007 assembly elections. How could he do it? He runs a battalion of youth known as Hindu Yuva Vahini. At times when the BJP contenders in Gorakhpur were not as per his wishes, he fielded a parallel candidate which disrupted BJP’s game in UP. Having a voice in the east UP without having Yogi would be a nightmare for the BJP.
Who if not Yogi?
BJP doesn’t have any face powerful and impactful enough to replace Yogi Adityanath. His aura can be understood by the fact that he’s often considered as the successor of Narendra Modi at the centre. Yes, the party couldn’t do well in the recent Lok Sabha elections but the BJP supporters know by heart that the party faced a setback in the state because most of the candidates were not Yogi’s choice, they were picked by the centre and hence Amit Shah.
Also, the deputy CM of UP, Keshav Prasad Maurya, who has erupted and drawn a parallel line to Yogi Adityanath can not be Delhi’s choice for replacement. 1. He doesn’t match the aura of Yogi. 2. He lost his own seat in Sirathu in the last assembly elections (2022). 3. He doesn’t have that kind of mandate or support with him within the party. 4. There was another ‘revolutionary’ in the party, Swami Prasad Maurya, such rebels have come and gone.
