Yogi Adityanath At PM Modi’s Residence For Meeting Amid UP Tumult

New Delhi:

Amid tumult in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in Delhi for a key meeting as murmurs grow against him in the party and his government’s handling of the pandemic.

On Thursday, Yogi Adityanath held a 90-minute long meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. With less than a year left for UP to elect its next government, the BJP has stepped up measures to iron out differences within the party.

The party is not looking at replacing Yogi Adityanath, sources have said, but other changes are likely.

Today’s meeting comes nearly a week after senior BJP leader BK Santosh led a central mission to Uttar Pradesh to take feedback and carry out a review in meetings with ministers, MLAs, MPs and the Chief Minister too.

A senior leader of the BJP’s ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Dattatreya Hosbole, had recommended the feedback session after reportedly sensing disenchantment in the cadre during his visit.

The inaccessibility of Yogi Adityanath to MPs and MLAs in the state and poor handling of the pandemic have led to the differences coming out in the open.

Jitin Prasada, the BJP’s latest high-profile recruit, is likely to play a key role in the UP reshuffle. The 47-year-old leader was the Congress’s top Brahmin face in UP and Brahmins make up about 13 per cent of UP’s voters. He quit his party of two decades on Wednesday, triggering very sharp reactions from Congress veterans such as Kapil Sibal.

Former bureaucrat AK Sharma, known to be among PM Modi’s aides, may be given an important role in the UP government, sources have suggested.