Uttar Pradesh got the Bharatiya Janata Party government again on Friday with some new and some old faces. During this, the name of Keshav Prasad Maurya was the most discussed. He has been made the Deputy Chief Minister once again. However, there are many such names of the previous cabinet, who could not find a place in the new government even after the victory. However, even the defeat from Sirathu seat of Kaushambi district could not reduce Maurya’s political stature. He had to face defeat at the hands of Pallavi Patel of Apna Dal (Kamerwadi).
Maurya is considered the big face of the Other Backward Classes of the party. The Indian Express quoted sources as saying that a part of the BJP leadership wanted to bring Maurya to Delhi, but he did not agree to it. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, there is a possibility that the Samajwadi Party will be aggressive and work for the non-Yadav vote bank. In such a situation, the BJP leadership felt that separating Maurya would be a big risk.
The Mauryas head the Kachi-Kushwah-Shakya-Maurya-Saini-Mali block. The 2001 report of the Social Justice Committee constituted by the then Chief Minister Rajnath Singh states that these communities constitute 6.69 per cent of the OBCs. The report also estimated that 43.13 per cent of the population are OBCs. More than half of these live in rural areas.
Such a loss to the BJP
BJP is upset due to lack of votes on the part of Kurmis. According to the committee’s report, the Kurmis are the second largest OBC group in the state after the Yadavs. In such a situation, the benefits received by the SP among the community have increased the concerns. In the election, Kurmi MLAs of SP defeated three MLAs of the party including Maurya. Not only this, the party also made a dent in the 7 seats of the BJP from where the MLAs were fielded.