Yogi concludes consultations in Delhi, BJP names Amit Shah central observer for Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath returns to Lucknow, holds meeting of his party’s core group; deputy CM Dinesh Sharma says manifesto commitments discussed
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday named Union home minister Amit Shah as the central observer to oversee the election of the legislative party leader in Uttar Pradesh.
The development came hours after chief minister Yogi Adityanath ended his two-day Delhi visit to consult top leaders on the formation of his second government.
Raghuvar Das, BJP national vice-president and former Jharkhand chief minister, has been named the co-observer for Uttar Pradesh.
Since Sunday, Adityanath has held widespread consultations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top leaders over the contours of his new government. Those consulted include BJP national president JP Nadda, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP general secretary (organization) BL Santhosh.
Yogi is the first Uttar Pradesh chief minister to win a second term after completing a full five-year tenure. He also broke a 37-year-old jinx of no party winning successive assembly elections in the state.
As part of a constitutional process before the new government formation, Adityanath had tendered his resignation to governor Anandiben Patel on March 11, a day after the poll results.
Adityanath also called on President Ramnath Kovind and Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu during the visit to the national capital.
Immediately on his return from Delhi, Adityanath held a meeting of the party’s core group at his 5-Kalidas Marg residence. The meeting lasted a couple of hours. At the Lucknow meeting, Adityanath is understood to have revealed the discussions he had with the top leadership in Delhi.
Those who attended the Lucknow meeting included deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev and general secretary (organization) Sunil Bansal, party’s UP in-charge Radha Mohan Singh.
“The core group discussions basically were on how to fulfil the commitments we had made in our sankalp patra (manifesto). There were aspects of governance that were discussed,” said deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma after the meeting.
Transport department officials have already started working on a plan to implement free bus ride to women above 60 years. Several other commitments like free scooty to women, free gas cylinders to women enrolled with Ujjawala scheme on Holi and Diwali, free power supply to farmers for irrigation would have to be cleared by the cabinet. Increasing the term of punishment for love jihad would have to be cleared by the new assembly.
The date for the election of the BJP legislative party leader is going to be the first step towards the formation of the new government. After the election, the leader is expected to meet the governor to stake claim to form the government. This process would be followed by the date for the swearing-in ceremony.
As many as 10 ministers of his outgoing government have lost the elections. There is still no clarity on if they will find a place in his new government or be used for organisational work.
As for Amit Shah, BJP leaders said, he was an obvious choice for being the central observer. When he was the party’s UP in-charge, the BJP had successfully tapped the “Modi wave” to ensure a landslide win in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
“Subsequently, as the BJP chief, Amit Shah again scripted the party’s phenomenal wins in 2017 UP assembly polls as well as in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP triumphed despite formidable tie-ups between Samajwadi Party and the Congress in the 2017 polls and between the BSP and the SP in 2019. That is why Shah was an obvious choice,” said AP Tiwari, a political analyst.
“Shah’s choice also means the importance BJP is giving to UP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Samajwadi Party has now emerged as the sole opposition to the BJP, with bigger numbers. Shah’s choice means the that BJP is unlikely to lower its guard,” Tiwari added.
“In his campaign pitches, Shah had said that if voted to power in UP, the BJP government would transform the state into country’s number one economy in two years. Also, by 2024, the Ram temple in Ayodhya is expected to be complete. The turnaround in state’s economy and addressing the issue of faith through the Ayodhya temple could well become a perfect campaign pitch for 2024 when Modi seeks an unprecedented third term for the BJP at the Centre,” Tiwari added.
NISHAD PARTY CHIEF EXPECTED TO MEET TOP LEADERS IN DELHI
Bharatiya Janata Party ally Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad is in Delhi where is expected to meet top leaders over representation in the Adityanath government.
Six lawmakers won on his party symbol. Five other Nishad party candidates were elected on the BJP symbol. BJP’s other ally Apna Dal (Sonelal) is expecting more representation in the government.
The Apna Dal (Sonelal) emerged as the third largest party with 12 MLAs in the new assembly. Its tally is more than that of the Congress (two seats) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (one seat).
In 2017, the Apna Dal (S) won nine seats as a BJP ally. It had one minister in the Yogi government.