Amit Shah summons UP BJP chief & gen secy urgently to Delhi to discuss 2022 polls: Sources

Gearing up for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls, Home Minister Amit Shah has summoned UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and State General Secretary (Org) Sunil Bansal on Thursday night. Sources report that the top leaders have travelled to Delhi via helicopter. The discussion between the ex-BJP chief and the two state heads will be regarding BJP's organisation and the all-important state polls.

UP BJP chief & gen secy summoned to Delhi

On Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad  predicted that the saffron party will win the UP polls in 2022 with 300+ seats. Incidentally, he remained evasive on the CM face, maintaining that the BJP's national leadership will take a call on it. While most BJP leaders have gathered around incumbent Yogi Adityanath to lead the BJP in 2022, the saffron party is yet to make such an announcement.

When asked about BJP's CM face, Maurya said, "Under whose leadership the BJP will fight the next Assembly elections in the state will be decided by the national leadership of the BJP and the parliamentary board. It does not matter under whose leadership the election is being fought. The BJP is the largest party in the world. It is not a private limited company like the SP, BSP and the Congress".

Yogi's Delhi sojourn

Amid rumours of UP cabinet expansion, CM Yogi Adityanath met top BJP leaders including - PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda on 10-11 June as BJP gears for seven state elections in 2022. Sources state that there will be no change in party leadership or the state government structure and that a coordination committee will be formed under Adityanath's leadership to bridge the gap between the Centre and state leadership. Recently, several top RSS and BJP leaders visited UP and praised the Yogi government's COVID handling. PM Modi has also lauded Adityanath's initiative to extend emotional support, healthcare, and legal aid to elderly citizens via 'Elderline'.

2022 UP poll campaign

As of date, several fronts have cropped up to challenge the ruling BJP. While Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj is eyeing an alliance with AIMIM, Azad Samaj Party, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party; parties like AAP, Shiv Sena, and JDU have announced that they will be contesting for the UP polls. Samajwadi Party and BSP have decided to not ally and shut their doors to Congres, opting to ally with smaller parties if needed or go solo. Since then, Congress has aggressively campaigned under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi in the state, eyeing its solo return. In 2017, amid tumultuous family fights in the Yadav family - with Akhilesh throwing out uncle Shivpal and replacing Mulayam Singh Yadav as the party chief, the then-UP CM stitched an alliance with Congress - with Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi holding joint rallies. This poll-alliance failed miserably, winning only 55 seats, while the BJP won 312 seats - ushering in Yogi Adityanath's maiden term.