Veteran BJP leader Keshav Prasad Maurya, the party's state unit chief, on Thursday took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh once again in the cabinet of Yogi Adityanath who was sworn in for the second consecutive term as chief minister today.
Maurya, a former MP from the Phulpur parliamentary constituency of Allahabad district constituency, had served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in the Yogi cabinet from 2017 to 2022. Brajesh Pathak is the other Deputy CM who was sworn in today.
BJP chose to retain Maurya despite his 2022 assembly poll defeat from the Sirathu constituency in the Kaushambi district, which is also his birthplace.
The BJP did the same thing in Uttrakhand where Pushkar Singh Dhami was retained as chief minister of the hill state, despite his loss in the Khatima assembly seat in Udhamsingh Nagar in the recent polls.
The "son of Sirathu" lost his seat by 7,337 votes against the Samajwadi Party's candidate Pallavi Patel who had got 1,06,278 votes and a 46.49 per cent vote share. In UP polls 2022, Maurya had got 98,941 seats with a 43.28 vote share.
Associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP)- Bajrang Dal, Maurya had won the 2014 general elections from the Phulpur parliamentary constituency of Allahabad district.
Maurya, an ardent advocate turned politician had contested in 2002, 2007, and 2012 assembly elections facing failure in his first two attempts but turning the tides in his favour in the 2012 elections.
( With inputs from ANI )
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