A series of meetings and social media posts over the last few days have highlighted internal unrest within the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh following the party’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. This has fueled speculation that the BJP high command may be considering an organisational shake-up in this politically significant state.

On Wednesday morning, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met with his ministers to discuss the upcoming Assembly bypolls in the state. Later in the evening, he had a “courtesy meet” with Governor Anandiben Patel ahead of the Assembly’s Monsoon Session.

Sources indicate that UP BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to discuss various organisational issues within the party in the state.

On Tuesday, Chaudhary and UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya met separately with BJP national president J P Nadda, amidst emerging dissonant voices within the state party. The BJP suffered unexpected losses in the Lok Sabha polls to the Opposition INDIA alliance, comprising the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress.

Maurya’s acknowledged differences with Adityanath surfaced publicly once more when he remarked at a state party meeting, attended by Adityanath and Nadda, that “the organisation is always bigger than the government and no one can be bigger than the organisation.” This statement, which Maurya also posted on social media, was perceived as a direct message to Adityanath, sparking further speculation about a rift within the state’s party unit.

Maurya is the BJP’s most prominent OBC leader in UP. A significant portion of the OBC vote appeared to favor the INDIA bloc in the Lok Sabha polls.

The UP BJP is not the only unit facing turmoil. In West Bengal, the party’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari made controversial remarks, suggesting the party should abandon its “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” (Together with All, Development for All) approach and discontinue its minority wing.

At a recent Bengal BJP working committee meeting, Adhikari stated, “We will save the Hindus and save the Constitution. I have spoken about nationalist Muslims and you all said ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. But I shall say it no more. Rather we shall now say, ‘We are with those who are with us’. Let’s put an end to ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’.” This statement appeared to contradict a policy laid down by PM Modi, prompting state BJP leaders to engage in damage control, describing Adhikari’s comments as his personal opinion.

Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, seen as one of Adhikari’s detractors, told reporters, “In the working committee meeting, party leaders participate as delegates and they are free to give their recommendations. It is up to the state party leadership to decide whether there will be any additions, corrections, or deletions. Suvendu Adhikari spoke his mind as a delegate.” Adhikari later claimed he had been quoted out of context.

Amid these disagreements, some senior Bengal BJP leaders have also called for an organisational overhaul in the state. It remains to be seen how the party’s central leadership will address these demands.

Other Key Developments

Telangana: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that his government would waive crop loans of up to Rs 1 lakh on Thursday, fulfilling a poll promise made during the 2023 Assembly elections. The government plans to credit Rs 7,000 crore to farmers’ accounts for loan waivers up to Rs 1 lakh, with further waivers up to Rs 2 lakh to be completed by August.

Supreme Court: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions on Thursday related to the NEET-UG 2024 medical entrance exam controversy. The hearing will involve over 40 pleas, including those from the National Testing Agency (NTA) seeking to transfer various high court cases to the Supreme Court to avoid multiple litigations.