BJP-RSS meet focuses on UP by-polls, Yogi to lead campaign from front

A key meeting of BJP leaders chaired by Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) sah sarkaryawah Arun Kumar at chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s official residence on Wednesday emphasised on furthering the party organisation’s outreach and agenda with a more conducive and concrete coordination between the organisation and the government.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, BJP state unit chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary and general secretary (organisation) Dharmapal Singh were present at the brainstorming meeting that continued for over two hours.
A discussion was held on the upcoming assembly by-election for 10 seats, according to BJP leaders familiar with the development at the meeting.
Chief ministerYogi Adityanath will lead the party campaign from the front. Along with drawing the strategy, chief minister will also select the candidates at a meeting with top organisation leaders.
The chief minister, who is incharge of the Milkipur assembly constituency in Ayodhya district and Katehri in Ambedkar Nagar district, has already set the ball rolling for the campaign by launching projects at public meetings.
This was the first detailed meeting involving a top RSS leader, the chief minister, the two deputy chief ministers, the state unit president and the secretary (organisation) after the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
In June, Yogi Adityanath had met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat after the Lok Sabha election. Kumar was to hold a coordination meeting with the government and organization on July 20 but it was abruptly called off, leading to speculation in political circles over a widening rift between the government and the organisation in Uttar Pradesh.
The RSS wants to set the house in Uttar Pradesh in order before the crucial by- election. This could be gauged from the fact that over the past three days, deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was at loggerheads with Adityanath, has publicly endorsed and hailed Yogi’s leadership, besides attending government and organisation meetings with the chief minister.
Before the arrival of the RSS sah sarkaryawah, the BJP sent a message that a thaw has been reached between the warring factions. Now, the focus is on winning by-elections.
The RSS and BJP leaders also mulled over the strategy to counter the opposition narrative on social discrimination of the Dalits and OBCs under the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. The party organization was told to launch a counter-offensive to check the opposition plan to create a division among the Dalit and OBC voters. The state government will highlight the various schemes launched by the BJP’s double engine government for the welfare of the weaker sections.
The meeting also deliberated on expanding the membership drive that is set to kickstart from September 1. The BJP has set a target for the MPs, MLAs and heads of the local bodies under the medmbership drive. The RSS sah sarkaryawah said the membership drive should be run successfully in coordination with the government and organization.
The RSS and BJP leaders also discussed the plan to motivate the party workers after the party’s less than expected performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
The disenchantment among the workers due to neglect in the government as well as by elected representatives and organization leaders was underlined as a major reason for the under-performance of the party in the Lok Sabha election.