Yogi Adityanath has begun meeting disgruntled BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh after Dharmendra Kashyap joined the Samajwadi Party. The outreach reflects concern over growing resentment over tickets for leaders' children ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Lucknow,Oct 13, 2026 11:12 IST
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken charge of efforts to pacify disgruntled BJP leaders ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with a series of meetings in recent days signalling the party's attempts at damage control.
The Chief Minister is personally reaching out to these leaders, hearing their grievances and trying to prevent further discontent within the party.
Three sets of photographs that have emerged over the past few days have drawn attention to the unease within the BJP, particularly over the party's reluctance to accommodate the political ambitions of leaders' children.
The immediate trigger was the exit of Dharmendra Kashyap, one of the BJP's prominent backward community leaders from Rohilkhand, who joined the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Kashyap subsequently met SP chief Akhilesh Yadav along with his daughter, Kirti.
The meeting was seen as a sign that he would seek an SP ticket for his daughter, triggering concern within the BJP that other disgruntled leaders could follow a similar path.
THE THREE PHOTOGRAPHS
After photographs of Akhilesh Yadav meeting Dharmendra Kashyap surfaced, images of three separate meetings involving Yogi Adityanath and disgruntled political figures emerged.
The first showed the Chief Minister meeting former MP and minister Kaushal Kishore and his family, including his wife, Jai Devi, the BJP MLA from Malihabad, and their son, Vikas Kishore, who is the vice-president of the BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha.
Kaushal Kishore reportedly wants a BJP ticket for his son from Malihabad, the seat currently represented by Jai Devi. He is also unhappy with the party's perceived lack of importance given to those who defeated him.
The next photograph showed Yogi meeting former Union minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi. She had sought a ticket for her son ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, but the BJP turned down the request.
Her son subsequently joined the SP, and Joshi has remained upset since then.
A third photograph showed the Chief Minister meeting Gangacharan Rajput, the father of Brijbhushan Rajput, the BJP MLA from Charkhari in Mahoba district.
Brijbhushan Rajput has emerged as a vocal critic of the government and recently held state minister Swatantra Dev Singh hostage in his area.
The Samajwadi Party is also seeking to draw closer to the MLA and his family, which is described as one of the largest and most influential political families in Bundelkhand, with influence among the Lodhi community.
BJP WARY OF LOSING INFLUENTIAL LEADERS
The three meetings have brought the BJP's internal discontent into focus, with grievances directed primarily at the government and its bureaucracy, as well as the party's reluctance to give electoral tickets to the children of prominent leaders.
The party faces a difficult balancing act. Failure to address the concerns of influential leaders could risk further exits and undermine its outreach among Dalit and Other Backward Class (OBC) voters.
With the 2027 Assembly elections approaching, Yogi's direct involvement in reaching out to disgruntled leaders signals an effort to contain the discontent before it grows into a larger political challenge.
- Ends