Hectic parleys are underway in Delhi to finalise the names who will take oath as Ministers along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after Holi. Adityanath has reached Delhi to take part in a meeting at BJP headquarters. This is his second trip to Delhi after the election results were declared on March 10.
BJP's national president JP Nadda presided over the crucial meeting which was attended by Adityanath, senior leader BL Santosh, party's UP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, outgoing deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, BJP election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, state general secretary (organization) Sunil Bansal and core group leaders. Union Home Minister Amit Shah didn't attend the meeting. The leaders will discuss and brainstorm names and also finalise candidates for the upcoming election to the Legislative Council.
If sources are to be believed, Yogi Aditayanth will get Deputy Chief Ministers to help him run the government smoothly. This time, there will be three Deputy Chief Ministers in Uttar Pradesh, sources said.
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Sources added that the party is carefully carrying out the act of balancing caste and regions in the new government. With the 2024 general election as the next big target, party bigwigs are working to give due representation to all castes and regions in the new cabinet headed by Yogi Adityanath.
Sources said that the frontrunners for the Deputy CMs job are Baby Rani Maurya, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak.
Baby Rani Maurya, a woman Dalit leader, had quit as the Governor of Uttarakhand just before the polls. She won the election from Agra Rural. The party wants to woo the Dalit voters by making her one of the Deputy CMs. The saffron party enjoys greater popularity among the Dalit population, credit the policies of the Yogi and Modi governments. The party understands that the Dalit voters hold the key and therefore, it is open to giving a wider representation to Dalit leaders in the government.
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Keshav Prasad, one of the two outgoing Deputy CMs, lost the electoral battle to Apna Dal (Kameravadi) leader Pallavi Patel who had contested on Samajwadi Party symbol. Keshav Prasad whom the BJP projects as its OBC face in the state is considered to be a confidant of Adityanath. A prolific orator and critic of the Samajwadi Party, Keshav is likely to be one of the party's candidates for the Legislative Council elections to be held on April 9.
Brijesh Pathak, a prominent Brahmin leader, served as the Law Minister in the previous government. He won elections from the Lucknow Cantt seat. The party is likely to give him more responsibility in the new government by making him the deputy CM and giving the charge of key ministries.
Dinesh Sharma who served as the Deputy CM for five years is unlikely to be included in the government. A Brahmin leader, he was handpicked by the BJP after the party's mega win in 2017 polls. He was then the Mayor of Lucknow. Sources said that Dinesh wants to work in the organisation.
The BJP stormed to power in Uttar Pradesh for a second consecutive term under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath. It alone won 255 seats, placing it in a comfortable position to form the next government in the 403-member Legislative Assembly.
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