UP monsoon session unites Yogi Adityanath, Keshav Maurya: Will the peace last?

File: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath speaks as Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya looks on during the Monsoon session of UP Assembly (PTI)

As the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly commenced on Monday, the BJP showcased a united front under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's leadership. In a notable display of solidarity, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak were seen alongside the Chief Minister in the corridors of the Vidhan Bhavan and during departmental and party meetings.

This harmonious image was in a stark contrast with the previous situation where Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had almost unfurled a banner of revolt against the Chief Minister. He even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the party’s national president JP Nadda to voice his protest. Until recently, both Maurya and Pathak had been conspicuously absent from several key government meetings presided over by the Chief Minister. Maurya even skipped a BJP MLAs' meeting in the Prayagraj division, convened by Yogi.

However, on the first day of the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh State Legislature, the two deputies were seen sitting beside the Chief Minister for the first time since the Lok Sabha poll results. They also appeared together when Yogi addressed the media in the morning, a moment that drew significant attention from photographers and videographers.

Observers initially attributed this show of unity to a rebuke BJP leaders got from ventral leadership during their recent visit to Delhi.

Later in the day, Maurya posted on X about his meeting with top police officials as the leader of Vidhan Parishad. He stated that the Director General of Police (DGP) had been instructed to ensure that people's problems were heard in police stations and to curb corruption. This marked the first time Maurya chaired a meeting of a department headed by the Chief Minister.

Despite the apparent harmony, political analyst Rajendra Kumar termed this bonhomie an optical illusion that would last only as long as the Monsoon session. “The BJP does not want to give the opposition an opportunity to talk about disunity within the party inside the House. Therefore, on the first day of the Budget session, the three leaders provided an opportunity for photographers to capture their smiling picture,” he said.

Senior journalist Rajesh N Bajpayee agreed, suggesting that Maurya could create a political space for himself by targeting Yogi. “Since the BJP's loss in the Lok Sabha elections, Yogi has been vulnerable as leaders are targeting him for poor performance. In 2017, Maurya was the state president of BJP when the party achieved an unprecedented victory. There was a belief that Maurya would be the Chief Minister of UP, but instead, Yogi was entrusted with the task, and Maurya was made his Deputy. Since then, Maurya has lost three elections, making his position vulnerable. But the Lok Sabha defeat has given Maurya the power to hit back at the Chief Minister,” Bajpayee told this reporter.

Bajpayee's observations hold weight, especially considering Maurya's comments during the BJP's OBC cell meeting last Tuesday. Maurya mentioned that many of the BJP's chief ministers were unaware of their impending appointments, highlighting the unpredictability and internal decision-making processes within the party. "Many of the BJP government's chief ministers were unaware that they would assume the CM position," he had said.

During the BJP working committee meeting on July 14, Maurya expressed the shared pain of party workers and emphasized that the organization was larger than the government. Conversely, Yogi attributed the party's poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to overconfidence.

“The first day of the monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly showcased a united BJP front under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. However, the underlying tensions between Yogi and Maurya suggest that this unity might be temporary, as political maneuvering continues within the party,” Bajpayee said.