Ritika
Votes will be cast on December 5 for the by-elections to be held in two assembly and one Lok Sabha seats in UP. In this, a direct contest is being told between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party. The seats on which by-elections are being held include Khatauli assembly seat in Rampur and Moradabad. By-election is also being held for Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat.
Both the parties have given their full strength to win these by-elections. The round of allegations and counter-allegations is also going on. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, who came to campaign in Rampur, offered both the Deputy Chief Ministers of UP to become the Chief Minister by taking 100 MLAs. It is not that this statement of Akhilesh has come for the first time. Even before this, he has made such an offer to Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from an open platform. However, in the statement he gave this time, the second Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak was also included in it.
In such a situation, the question is arising that why is Akhilesh Yadav repeatedly talking about breaking the BJP MLAs? Why are both the Deputy Chief Ministers of UP on their target? What is its political significance? Let’s understand…
First know what Akhilesh Yadav said?
Akhilesh Yadav was addressing an election rally in Rampur. During this, he mentioned both the Deputy Chief Ministers of UP. Said, these people are coming from place to place and telling us that we are mafia, we call people criminals, but both of them are in a dilemma as to when to become the Chief Minister. I had given offer earlier also, I am also giving offer from Rampur. Bring 100 MLAs with you, we 100 MLAs are ready with you, form the government and become the Chief Minister. Are you roaming around as Deputy Chief Minister, what is there in Deputy Chief Minister?
After this, Akhilesh targeted Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak without naming him. Said that he is not able to transfer a CMO and a doctor of his department. Similarly, there are other Deputy Chief Ministers, their departments were changed. The department of which he became the minister does not even have a budget.
Why is Akhilesh repeatedly targeting Deputy Chief Ministers?
To understand this, we spoke to senior journalist Ramashankar Srivastava. He said, ‘The politics of UP is largely divided on the basis of caste and religion. Keshav Prasad Maurya comes from backward class and when BJP made him the state president, since then a large section of backward class came with BJP. The results of 2017, 2019 and then 2022 assembly elections show this. In 2017, it was expected that Keshav Maurya would be made the Chief Minister, but it did not happen. Keshav had to satisfy himself with the post of Deputy CM. For the whole five years, a lot of news of rift between Keshav and Yogi came to the fore.
Ramashankar further says, ‘This time when Keshav Prasad Maurya himself lost the election, speculations were being made that his importance would be less in the party and the government. However, again he was given the post of Deputy Chief Minister, but this time the department was not as strong. Akhilesh knows very well that because of Keshav, a large number of backward classes are associated with BJP. In such a situation, if Keshav Prasad Maurya is somehow taken on its side, then BJP may have to suffer a big loss.
According to Ramashankar, by repeatedly targeting Keshav Prasad Maurya, Akhilesh Maurya wants to give a message to Kushwaha and other backward classes that BJP is doing wrong with their leader. Keshav Prasad Maurya has no importance in BJP and he is being discriminated against in the government as well. Along with Keshav, this time Akhilesh has also focused on another deputy CM Brijesh Pathak. Through this, he wants to tell the public that everything is not going well in the present government. Even both the Deputy Chief Ministers are worried.
