Amid rumblings in U.P. BJP, Yogi likely to meet Modi in Delhi on July 27

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to convey his point on rumblings within the state BJP when he visits New Delhi to attend NITI Aayog governing council meeting there on July 27.

Though a final touch is still being given to the chief minister’s programme, there are indications that he may meet the PM and senior BJP leaders either ahead of or after the NITI Aayog meeting.

“Yes, the chief minister will attend the NITI Aayog meeting in New Delhi on July 27. CM is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders and discuss the happenings within the UP BJP,” said at least two government functionaries aware of the developments on the issue.

Yogi Adityanath’s proposed visit to New Delhi assumes significance as it comes barely two days before the state legislature’s Monsoon session scheduled to commence in Lucknow on July 29.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav used the opportunity of rumblings in the state BJP to target the ruling party and the government alike, making an offer to disgruntled legislators on the social media. “Monsoon Offer, bring a hundred, form the government!” said Yadav in a post on X in Hindi.

Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya who, by his observations, brought the BJP’s “Sarkar versus Sangthan” (government versus organisation) divide into focus, countered Yadav with a post on X in Hindi reading: “The people and workers will again limit the Monsoon Offer to 47 in 2027. A sinking ship and a dying crew, of which the present and future are at risk, can indulge in day dreaming. But this cannot be realised. We will repeat 2017 in 2027 and lotus (BJP) government will be formed again.”

Maurya’s observations at the state party’s executive committee meeting in Lucknow on July 14 that the party organisation was, is and will remain greater than the government indicated that all is not well within the U.P. BJP.

Maurya met BJP president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Tuesday (July 16) and briefed him about the unfolding developments in the state BJP and the government. Uttar Pradesh BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary’s meetings with Nadda, Union minister for home Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi further triggered speculation about the likely changes that the BJP may make at various levels in Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP’s below par performance in 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh led to introspection in the party’s state unit which, in turn, resulted in a blame game, widening the “Sarkar versus Sangthan” (government versus organisation) rift further.

The BJP’s tally of Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh was reduced to 33 seats, a drop of 29 from 62 in 2019 while the INDIA bloc gained ground with the Samajwadi Party (SP) winning 37 seats, a jump of 32 seats as compared to 2019. The Congress tally went up to six seats in 2024 from one in 2019.