RSS, BJP discuss Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypoll strategy at Yogi Adityanath’s house

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) will back the BJP in the upcoming 10 Assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, with the first coordination committee meeting between the two allied organisations for UP by-elections happening in Lucknow on Wednesday.

The meeting at UP CM Yogi Adityanath's residence was attended by top state party brass and RSS joint general secretary Arun Kumar, who coordinates between the Sangh and the BJP.

Kumar was recently present at the RSS-BJP meeting held to plan for Haryana Assembly polls as well, amid growing signs that the Sangh had decided to get involved in poll outreaches after BJP failed to win a simple majority in the General Election, leading to dependence on allies and much less elbow room in pushing policy reforms.

The meeting on UP gave two signals - BJP and RSS are back together for polls and planning; and Yogi is firmly in the saddle, despite recent attempts by his deputies Brijesh Pathak and Keshav Maurya to upset him.

Both the state deputy CMs attended the meeting at CM's residence today and BJP state chief Bhupendra Choudhary was also present. It is learnt that the two sides strategised for the 10 bypolls, necessitated after the election of sitting MLAs to the Lok Sabha.

While all 10 seats were discussed at the meeting, special focus was laid on ways to win Milkipur seat in Faizabad parliamentary constituency, which the SP won much to the embarrassment of the BJP. Faizabad houses Ayodhya, the site of Ram Mandir.

SP's former Milkipur MLA Awadhesh Singh, won from the Faizabad LS seat. The BJP plans to go all out to wrest Milkipur in Faizabad now. The by-election schedule is yet to be announced.