Uttar Pradesh MLAs feel CM Yogi Adityanath aloof, relies more on babus

LUCKNOW:  The recent Lucknow visit of BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh and the outcome of his deliberations with state party functionaries, ministers and legislators is likely to figure prominently during Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s meetings with top leaders in New Delhi.

A report summing up the deliberations is believed to have been submitted by Santosh to the party’s national leadership. According to insiders, party functionaries who met the central leaders, had voiced concern over  the dominance of select bureaucrats in governance, which has resulted in a large number of MLAs not getting concerns of their areas addressed by their own government.

Importantly, Santosh and the party’s UP in-charge Radha Mohan Singh, during their recent Lucknow visit, had patiently heard state party leaders, including organisation functionaries, senior ministers and MLAs to take stock of the situation on ground ahead of next year’s Assembly polls.

They told the leaders from Delhi that with work in their areas not done by their own government, many MLAs have told party bosses about the difficulty they would face going back to the voters before the polls with unfulfilled promises.

The deliberations during the recent visit by Santosh had also taken stock of the party’s not so encouraging performance in the recently held panchayat polls. If informed sources are to be believed, then the party-supported candidates performed badly in 50-plus assembly segments, which presently have BJP MLAs.

The CM met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday and is likely to meet BJP’s national president JP Nadda and PM Narendra Modi on Friday. Before leaving for Delhi, the CM had a meeting with state party president Swatantra Deo Singh and state party general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal. The meeting happened just a few hours after ex-Union minister and Congress leader Jitin Prasada joined the BJP in Delhi.