UP: BJP leaders believe 'Mota Bhai' will come to the rescue and party will manage to form govt

Sitting in an anteroom of a senior party leader’s official room, two BJP leaders were discussing the outcome of the party’s performance in the ongoing assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh. After a meeting for over 15 minutes, they returned to the main room where around half a dozen leaders were waiting. “Mota Bhai will take care of government formation in UP,” said one leader breaking the silence of the room.

Mota Bhai, he referred to is Amit Shah. The BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh believe that the BJP will get something around 180-190 seats and would be the largest party. “Mota Bhai will then come in handy and will bail the party out and help in government formation,” a party leader said.

The internal assessment of the BJP is that in the first three phases of election, in which polling is over in 173 assembly constituencies, the party will get 50 plus seats. The leadership believes that the next three phases are good for them and would suffer defeat in the last phase.

There is a strong feeling within the party that many of its strong stalwarts including its Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya are on a sticky wicket. There are reports that have loosened the strings of his money bag to lure voters. Similarly, Power Minister Shrikant Sharma, Sugarcane Development Minister Suresh Rana, Jail Minister Jai Kumar Jaickey, Urban Development Minister Ashutosh Tandon, Union Minister SP Singh Baghel among others are on a sticky wicket and might lose elections from their respective constituencies.

The BJP who is sticking to its public posture of winning over 300 seats, in private admits that the outcome is not likely to be on the expected lines. The party believes it would be a hung assembly with BJP winning 180-190 seats, Samajwadi Party close to 150, and the rest would be shared between BSP, Congress, a few smaller parties and independents.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was in Lucknow yesterday, also predicted a hung assembly and assured that his party AAP will support the alliance to keep BJP away.

“Look what we are saying is being corroborated by Kejriwal. This would be a hung assembly and BJP would continue to be the largest party,” a BJP leader said.

But, the party leaders are silent over the fate of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. If Party believes that it will get less than 200 seats and would rely on Mota Bhai to form the government, will then Yogi Adityanath be a natural choice as Chief Minister?

“Yogi will be chief minister only if the party wins a majority and in case of a hung assembly, the party will have to scout for a new name. Keshav Prasad Maury could be the natural choice who will be acceptable to all,” a BJP leader said.