LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: The day-long visit of UP CM Yogi Adityanath along with the two Deputy CMs to Delhi on Monday led political circles in Lucknow go abuzz with speculation of his possible induction into the BJP Parliamentary Board, the apex decision making body, soon.
The resounding win for a second consecutive term in the country’s politically most crucial state is being seen as the first step towards elevation of Yogi Adityanath’s political stature in the party by way of his likely ascension to the parliamentary board, where the only Chief Minister who is a member is Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The BJP’s highest decision-making body is its 11-member parliamentary board which takes important decisions about the party’s policy in Parliament and state legislatures.
Currently, the elite Board has four vacancies which have resulted due to the demise of senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, elevation of Venkaiah Naidu to the post of country’s Vice President and retirement of Thaawarchand Gehlot as leader of the Rajya Sabha.
The seven remaining members include PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national chief JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and party general secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh.
Meanwhile, according to highly-placed sources in Delhi, the existing four vacancies on the board are likely to be filled shortly to expedite the party’s policy-making process ahead of the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. During the pandemic, the formal physical meetings of Parliamentary Board have been rare. As per the sources, it has been an exchange of ideas only among the big three, Modi, Shah and Nadda, and the decisions are communicated to other members. Nevertheless, for BJP leaders, sharing a post on the board is deemed to be an honour.
“The victory in the recently concluded Assembly elections in the state has given a push to CM Yogi not only as UP CM but also as a senior leader who will also have a say in crucial decisions,” said a senior BJP leader.
Moreover, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also been throwing its weight behind Yogi. In the UP Assembly election also, the RSS was pulling out all stops to ensure a second term for Yogi.
“Besides Yogi, other names doing the rounds for induction into the coveted panel include Bhupendra Yadav, Piyush Goyal and one from SC,” sources said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, after reaching Delhi along with his two deputies -- Keshav Maurya and Brajesh Pathak -- Yogi Adityanath met President Ramnath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national chief JP Nadda. “Monday’s visit of UP CM Yogi Adityanath to Delhi to call on the PM and other senior BJP leaders might include discussions over his induction in the panel,” a senior leader at the party central office said.
As per highly placed sources, the UP CM along with both the Deputy CMs, was expected to sit with the BJP top brass to discuss issues related to the state especially in the wake of the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.