With a year left for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, political games have peaked in the state, with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat meeting Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. The meeting came on Thursday, hours after Bhagwat met with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adithyanath. Maurya’s visit, which lasted 30 minutes, sparked speculations as it happened soon after Yogi left the venue.
The official RSS version is that it was just a courtesy call, which several ministers and BJP leaders do when Bhagwat is in town. No political decisions are made in such meetings, only discussions, the RSS sources told reporters.
However, The Indian Express quoted a BJP leader who claimed that political discussions would undoubtedly have taken place on the social and political situation in the state, considering that there is just a year left for the Assembly elections. He added that both the UP government and the BJP organisation have entered election mode. A cabinet reshuffle is also expected in the state.
Interestingly, rumours of a cabinet reshuffle have been doing the rounds for the last few weeks in the state. These meetings become even more significant given the constant reports of discord between Keshav Prasad Maurya and Yogi Adithyanath, who joined the BJP through the RSS and VHP. After winning the 2017 elections, he was considered a frontrunner for the CM post, but Yogi Adityanath won the race.
The relations between Maurya and Yogi further worsened after the former’s loss of the Sirathu Assembly seat. He then blamed it on “internal sabotage” and a means to pacify him, the BJP appointed Maurya as the Deputy Chief Minister. Maurya further sharpened his attack after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Yogi faced criticism for the BJP's poor performance in the state.
Bhagwat’s visit could also be seen in the context of the Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand episode, which has dominated headlines for some time now, where Yogi, Maurya and Deputy CM Brijesh Pathak all struck a different stance.
Maurya is now on a path of open rebellion, which was evident during the recent gathering in Ayodhya to celebrate the festival of lights. Those close to Keshav Prasad Maurya said that he had to cancel his event at the last minute due to his busy schedule with the Bihar elections. However, speculations are that Maurya did not attend because his name was not mentioned in the advertisements.
