On Thursday, Yogi Adityanath announced his bid to form the government in Uttar Pradesh, a day before he will be sworn in as chief minister at a mega event that will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP legislature party elected Adityanath as its leader, which ratified a decision by the Bharatiya Janata Party top brass. As soon as the BJP MLAs met in Lucknow, Nishad Party leader Sanjay Nishad and Apna Dal (S) chief Ashish Patel presented Governor Patel with letters of support for the party. Adityanath later visited the Raj Bhavan to stake his party’s claim. BJP and allies won 255 seats in the 403-member assembly.
Over the past three decades, a party has only won two consecutive assembly elections in the state twice. In a meeting with the party’s newly-elected MLAs, Adityanath thanked the prime minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their guidance during his first term. A swearing-in ceremony will be held at a Lucknow stadium on Friday. Modi, BJP leaders from other states and dignitaries will take part. Amit Shah, who attended the BJP MLAs’ meeting as an observer, said the party’s successes in UP since 2014 indicate that people prefer ‘politics of performance over appeasement’.
Top BJP leaders on Thursday met in Delhi to finalize government formation plans in Uttar Pradesh, a party source said. Keshav Prasad Maurya, Dinesh Sharma, and Baby Rani Maurya, the former governor of Uttarakhand, will replace the outgoing deputy chief ministers. The BJP’s state polls in-charge, Dharmendra Pradhan, and president J P Nadda were also involved in discussions. There was a discussion about maintaining caste and regional balance in the new UP cabinet.
Rani Maurya, a Jatav from the Scheduled Castes, is widely expected to hold a prominent position in the new government. As Uttarakhand governor, she resigned to run in the assembly elections. BJP chief Swatantar Dev Singh, a former bureaucrat close to Modi, and Brijesh Pathak, a minister in the outgoing government are all seen as potential candidates for key posts, including deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh if the party is seeking fresh faces.
The event will be attended by Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. In addition to Mukesh Ambani, 60 other business tycoons were invited. The road leading to Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, where the event will take place, is decorated with lights. There are cut-outs of Modi, Shah, and Adityanath. As allies, Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary of the Rashtriya Lok Dal won’t attend the event. UP BJP general secretary J P S Rathore confirmed to PTI that invitations have been sent to opposition leaders.
According to party leaders, Adityanath has personally invited over 50 seers, including those from Ayodhya, Mathura, and Varanasi. According to Dinesh Shankar, a state-level functionary of the VHP, prominent seers as well as members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been invited. Vivek Agnihotri and Ramdev, the director of ‘The Kashmir Files’ and actor Anupam Kher are also on the list.
50,000 people can be accommodated at the venue. An official said that about 8,000 police will be deployed for the event. Amit Shah said that Uttar Pradesh has been plagued by political instability for a long time because of ‘casteist and dynastic parties’. ‘In the past 37 years, no party has won full majority again in Uttar Pradesh’, he said, referring to his party’s unprecedented two-time victory. According to the home minister, it is historic that the BJP got over two-thirds of the seats for the second consecutive time.
According to Shah, Adityanath decriminalized politics and ended the politicization of government. If someone files a complaint, law and order will be enforced. As chief minister for the first time, Adityanath said he lacked administrative experience and thanked Shah and Modi for helping provide good governance in Uttar Pradesh. It was the first time people thought houses for the poor could be built. He said for the first time, money could go directly into the accounts of the poor. ‘Moreover, festivals can now be celebrated in a peaceful manner’, he added.
Post Your Comments