New Delhi, March 23 As Pushkar Singh Dhami took oath on Wednesday as chief minister of Uttarakhand for a second term, there is speculation in the BJP that Keshav Prasad Maurya may also retain his position in the Uttar Pradesh government despite losing his seat in the recent assembly polls.
After the declaration of the assembly poll results, there was a general feeling within the BJP that the leaders who lost should not lead or be part of the government as it is against the party norms and practice. "In 2017, the party did not make Prem Kumar Dhumal chief minister of Himachal Pradesh after he lost the polls. But after Dhami took oath today, there is a belief in the party that hard work will be rewarded despite losing the seat. Now there is a general feeling that he (Maurya) may be given another chance as deputy chief minister," a party leader said.
Opinion was divided within the BJP. After Dhami's defeat in the assembly polls, a section in the party felt that making a leader who lost the polls the chief minister will be against the BJP's practice, while another section believed that he should be given a chance for the hard work he put in to ensure a BJP victory.
After Dhami took oath as chief minister of Uttarakhand, there is a feeling that Maurya may get a second chance. "Reappointment of Dhami as chief minister despite losing from Khatima assembly constituency has brightened Maurya's chances for a cabinet berth in the Yogi Adityanath government," a senior BJP leader said.
A prominent Other Backward Class (OBC) leader of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Maurya, who was a deputy chief minister, lost the assembly poll from Sirathu constituency. "Dhami was given another chance to lead the government in Uttarakhand after himself losing his seat, for all the hard work he had put in to ensure a BJP victory. There is a possibility that Maurya who also worked hard but lost his own seat may be rewarded with a position in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet," a party leader said.
Rewarding Maurya like Dhami, many feel, will help the BJP in making inroads among the OBC voters ahead of the 2024 general elections.
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