PM Modi’s stamp writ large on UP, Uttarakhand cabinets
BJP. The saffron party lost in Jharkhand where sitting CM Raghubar Das could not lead the party to victory. In Maharashtra, BJP miscalculated the political equations and got out of power there. The party had to form an alliance government in Haryana. The BJP registered a wholesome victory in Assam, but it had to change CM as per some understanding and ex-congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma had to be given the CM post. The party had to change not only the CM, but the entire cabinet in Gujarat. Worse came when the party lost polls in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh. The party pulled out all the stops to win in West Bengal, but Mamata Banerjee’s resounding victory led to questions being raised over the central leadership of the BJP. The Opposition was under the impression that the BJP could be defeated in the next parliamentary polls. But the BJP’S big win in UP, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur stunned the opposition. PM Modi was confident of BJP’S win in these states and the BJP under his guidance chalked out strategy accordingly. The opposition resorted to traditional caste politics and got defeated as a result of that.
PM Modi’s charismatic
leadership did play a crucial role in BJP’S performance in UP and Uttarakhand, but CMS’ influence also strengthened the party positions. CM Yogi Adityanath’s strict administrative skills created an impact in UP. Similarly, Pushkar Singh Dhami’s clean image helped BJP counter the anti-incumbency in Uttarakhand where the party’s image was dented following change of CMS twice.
Trivendra Singh Rawat, who PM Modi relied on, had to be removed from CM post. His successor Tirath Singh Rawat was also replaced by Dhami as the former’s position was weak in case of a bypoll. Though Dhami could not save his seat, he was given the top post because PM Modi relies on him. There was no doubt about Yogi being given
the CM post again for the second consecutive stint in UP. Dhami’s reappointment as CM signals that PM Modi wants to check factionalism in the first place. Secondly, he is keen to ensure that a new BJP emerges in the hill state. The new cabinet in Uttarakhand lends credence to this fact. Now, leaders like Vijay Bahuguna, Ramesh Pokhriyal, Trivendra Singh Rawat, Bishan Singh Chuphal, Arvind Pandey and Banshidhar Bhagat will not be in the limelight as they used to be earlier. There may be some more changes in 2024. Inclusion of a youth leader like Saurabh Bahuguna in the cabinet and appointment of Ritu Khanduri as Assembly Speaker mark the beginning of reemergence of a stronger BJP in Uttarakhand.