Tiff in UP BJP? Pathak faces heat over working style

All is not apparently well in Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party. Trouble is seemingly brewing among the top leadership, with some rift emerging between Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Brajesh Pathak.

Sources stated that over the past few weeks differences seem to have emerged between the two top leaders in the state over Pathak's style of functioning coming under a scanner.

Pathak, who was earlier a part of the Bahujan Samaj Party, had joined the BJP a few years back. He is credited for playing a significant part in the rout of the BSP in the Assembly polls held earlier this year. He was also instrumental in bringing over several senior BSP leaders to the BJP fold.

However, this strength of the former BSP leader is now apparently playing against Pathak as BJP leaders and cadre are complaining that the new entrant to their fold isn't up to upholding of saffron unit's working culture and ethos.

In fact, a Chief Minister's Office has apparently expressed its displeasure over the issue known to the party's central leadership over recent transfer orders of officials under departments headed by Pathak. There have also been murmurs over financial misappropriation in a few of the deals, sources said.

This had led to the Prime Minister's Office ordering an inquiry against UP Health Department ACS AM Prasad over alleged irregularities in transfer-postings. A separate inquiry into the issue had earlier been ordered by the chief minister as well. Health is one of the portfolios entrusted to Pathak.

Selection of UP BJP president

While the tiff between the top leadership persists, the BJP is still awaiting the appointment of its state unit chief.

In fact, the outcome of this tussle between the top two in the UP government is expected to have a bearing over the selection of a nominee for the state unit chief, sources said.

The likely formula being proposed by the CM's camp is the nomination of a Brahmin face as party unit chief which further weakens the case of Pathak to continue as the Deputy Chief Minister, sources said.

Ever since BJP Uttar Pradesh chief Swatantra Dev Singh became a part of Yogi's cabinet the party is keen to accommodate a Brahmin leader as its chief.

The move would also be significant as Uttar Pradesh sends the most number of BJP MPs to Lok Sabha and the polls for the lower house are scheduled for 2024.

The community is electorally significant as it constitutes about 10 percent of the state's population.