Aakhir Tak – In Shorts
- A key BJP meeting will be held in Delhi today to discuss the UP bypolls.
- BJP will negotiate seat-sharing with its allies, focusing on Mirapur and Khair seats.
- The Nishad Party is demanding two seats—Kathari and Majhwan—but BJP is hesitant to concede the Khair seat.
Aakhir Tak – In Depth
A crucial meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is scheduled for today in Delhi to discuss the upcoming by-elections for 10 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. The meeting will focus on key decisions regarding candidate selection and seat distribution. The party has prepared a panel of 27 potential candidates for 9 seats, and final approval is expected soon.
There is speculation that the discussions will center around the seat-sharing arrangement with BJP’s allies. Sources suggest that BJP is ready to concede the Mirapur seat to its ally, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), but remains unwilling to yield the Khair seat, despite the RLD’s demand. This discussion holds significance as it may influence the coordination between BJP and its allies in the bypolls.
The Nishad Party, another BJP ally, is pushing for two seats—Kathari and Majhwan. In the previous election, the Nishad Party fielded its candidate on the Kathari seat, and the BJP had backed a Nishad Party candidate on the Majhwan seat under its own symbol. Based on this precedent, Nishad Party leader Sanjay Nishad is advocating for both seats in the upcoming bypolls.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, along with BJP’s organisational general secretary Dharampal Singh, will attend the meeting. The party is expected to finalize its seat-sharing strategy in this meeting. While BJP seems willing to offer the Mirapur seat to Jayant Chaudhary’s RLD, it is reportedly less inclined to meet Sanjay Nishad’s demand for additional seats.
The Election Commission is likely to announce the dates for the by-elections for the 10 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh soon, with the polls expected to take place in November.
