At 5 p.m., a significant expansion of Uttar Pradesh’s cabinet is likely, with six to seven new faces joining Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s team. The extension comes only months before the politically crucial state’s Assembly elections, and it is anticipated to include representation from all castes and communities. Former Congress politician Jitin Prasada, formerly a close friend of Rahul Gandhi and the party’s top Brahmin face in UP until switching sides in June, is among the expected new faces.
Mr. Prasada’s entrance was intended to assist the BJP to change the perception of Yogi Adityanath’s government, which was seen as pro-Thakur by a segment of the state’s Brahmins. Brahmins account for around 13% of UP voters and are a powerful group that has slowly shifted from Congress to the BJP over the years. In July of last year, Mr. Prasada established a “Brahmin Chetna Parishad,” but it had little influence.
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Sanjay Nishad of the Nishad Party, a BJP partner, is also anticipated to be included; this comes after Mr. Nishad, an OBC, voiced dissatisfaction with his son and MP, Pravin Nishad, not being formed in the major reshuffle of the union cabinet a few months ago. Mr. Nishad then warned the BJP that there would be “consequences in the forthcoming Assembly election.”
Yogi Adityanath expressed confidence last week that the BJP will gain an overwhelming majority in the poll and return to power in the state. The Chief Minister stated that the state’s “perception” has changed and anticipated winning 350 of the state’s 403 seats. In 2017, the BJP received 325 votes. The Samajwadi Party and its allies received 54 seats, while the BSP received 19.
Narendra Modi, a Lok Sabha member from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, praised Yogi Adityanath and his administration earlier this month, praising it for conducting “the country’s country’s largest development initiatives” and praising it as an example of the “double-engine” model.
The UP election is primarily seen as a litmus test for the BJP’s popularity at the state level, following its dismal showing in other states. The BJP held power in Assam earlier this year but failed to defeat Mamata Banerjee in Bengal, won zero seats in Kerala, and lost in Tamil Nadu.
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After some BJP MPs and MLAs raised reservations about Yogi Adityanath’s accessibility and leadership in light of the state’s reaction to the COVID-19 epidemic, the UP election next year would be a litmus test for his credentials from inside the party. Concerns were also expressed over claims that the Yogi Adityanath government had marginalized the Brahmin community. Jitin Prasada is likely to get a visible position in the reshuffle in this regard.
