With a lone Muslim minister Danish Azad Ansari and five women in the ministry, Uttar Pradesh formally got its 2.0 Yogi Adityanath headed team again. Adhering to his 80- 20 baseline hardcore Hindutva mantra, Yogi did not raise the minority berths. He just replaced minority minister Mohsin Raza with Ansari. Yogi’s second term message is clear for the minority – this far and no further. At no cost will the Muslims’ role and representations be allowed to increase in governance in the state.
All focus appeared to be on the appeasement of Dalit and Brahmin representation. The Dalits and OBCs were specially rewarded generously for their contribution in these elections. The Brahmins, who it was said in the pre-election reports were not happy with the BJP as they were being sidelined were extended olive branches. The replacement of Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma was done by Brahmin Brijesh Pathak. The new ministry also included the former IAS officer and close confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Arvind Sharma.
Pathak, law minister in Yogi’s first term won with a thumping majority from Lucknow Cantt. He is a very popular figure in the BJP and people. It was he who provided a lot of help to the masses during the Pandemic, especially in the second wave.
The ‘expected surprise’ in this term’s ministers list, the names were kept secret and the list with names was released last minute, was the re-induction of Keshav Prasad Maurya. They say that success has many fathers but failure is an orphan. But this saying seems to have lost its meaning in the present situation. Maurya suffered a humiliating defeat at the hand of Apna Dal (Kameravadi) leader Pallavi Patel. He lost with a margin 7,337 votes. But he was the only minister, out of the eleven, who despite his defeat was not only included in the ministry again but was given back his deputy CM chair the second time.
Maurya’s defeat had come as a dampener for the BJP as it had swept the polls along with Apna Dal (Soneylal) and Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) parties as allies. There was no hope now for Maurya who it was said was loggers drawn with the Thakur chief minister. But seems that his caste appears to have come to his rescue. Mauryas are Kshatriya varna of Hinduism and are largely an agricultural community. They are allied with are- Kashi, Shakya, Bhagirathi, and Sagarvanshi. By inducting him Yogi sent a message to the Dalits and OBCs how generous he is and that he holds no grudges against those coming from a lower caste. A clever and well-mediated move.
ELEVEN BJP MINISTERS WHO LOST 2022 ASSEMBLY POLLS
- Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya lost Sirathu Seat.
- Ex-state cane minister Suresh Rana lost the Thana Bhawan Seat in Shamali district.
- Chatrapal Singh Gangawar lost Baheri seat in Bareilly district
- Rural development minister Rajendra Pratap Singh lost the Patti seat in Pratapgarh.
- Chandrika Prasad Upadhyay lost the Chitrakoot seat.
- Anand Swaroop Shukla lost Bariya seat in Ballia district.
- State’s sports minister Upendra Tiwari lost the Phephna seat in Ballia.
- Minister Ranvendra Singh Dhunni Hussain Ganj seat in Fatehpur district.
- Lakhan Singh Rajput was defeated on Dibiyapur seat in Auraiya district.
- State’s basic education minister Satish Chandra Dwivedi at Itwa seat in Siddharthnagar district.
- Sangeeta Balwant was defeated at the Gazipur seat.
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