UP CM Adityanath holds series of feedback meetings with RSS leaders ahead of assembly polls
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been holding a series of meetings with functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) across the state. These meetings are described by party leaders as the first such coordinated outreach during his second term in office.
According to a report published by The Print, over the past few days, Adityanath has travelled to Ghaziabad and Kanpur. He is also scheduled to visit Agra on Saturday for further consultations. Before the festival of Holi, he had also chaired feedback meetings in Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Varanasi.
BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary and the party’s state organisation secretary Dharmpal Singh have been part of the discussions, along with zonal incharges from both the BJP and RSS.
A BJP leader was quoted by The Print as saying that such coordination meetings were being held for the first time during Adityanath’s second tenure as chief minister. During his first term, similar meetings were held in 2018 ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and again in 2021 before the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections.
Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled for next year, with the BJP hoping to retain power for a third straight term.
The discussions come after multiple conversations between Adityanath and RSS chairman Mohan Bhagwat in recent months. On November 24, last year, the chief minister met with Bhagwat in Ayodhya for an approximately 90-minute closed-door talk, followed by another meeting lasting about 40 minutes in February.
Between November 18 and 26, RSS officials attended a number of review meetings with ministers and bureaucrats in Lucknow.
The Print quoted political analyst S.K. Dwivedi as saying that the renewed engagement between the state government and the RSS could prove important ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. According to him, there were reports of reduced activity by RSS cadres during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which may have affected the party’s performance.
Participants in the meetings said RSS functionaries raised several concerns on the allegations of corruption at the local level, farmers’ issues and a lack of coordination between the party organisation and the government.
One RSS functionary who attended a meeting in Ghaziabad said Adityanath was told that corruption in police stations and government offices remained a concern at the grassroots level despite a policy of zero tolerance against senior officials.
Another issue raised was that local officials often ignored BJP and RSS workers. A Sangh leader said that while coordination had improved in major towns, difficulties remained in rural areas, including problems faced by workers in securing emergency hospital beds in the National Capital Region.
According to participants, the chief minister acknowledged the concerns and assured them that the issues would be taken up with district magistrates and other officials.
During a discussion on outreach to different communities at the Ghaziabad meeting, Adityanath repeated his controversial slogan “Ek rahoge to nek rahoge, batoge toh katoge,” a phrase that critics say carries divisive undertones. By invoking the slogan while speaking about outreach, he was seen as framing the message of unity through a warning-like narrative directed at different caste groups.
RSS functionaries also welcomed the state government’s decision to increase the honorarium of Shiksha Mitras, an issue that had been raised in earlier consultations.
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My party will complete 5-year term, says CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday asserted that the Congress government would complete its five-year term, while sidestepping questions on whether he personally would remain in office for the full duration.
Addressing reporters here, he maintained that decisions on the leadership would rest with the party high command and refrained from giving a direct answer on his own tenure.
“Our party will complete five years,” Siddaramaiah said, when asked if he would complete a full term as Chief Minister.
On the issue of leadership, he reiterated that the final call would be taken by the party leadership, saying, “The high command will decide. There’s no point asking the same thing again.”
Indicating his readiness to travel to the national capital if required, he said, “If I am called to Delhi, I will go,” adding that he would seek an appointment with Rahul Gandhi if needed.
The talks on leadership change have intensified in the power corridor of the state where claims were made that Siddaramaiah would make way for his Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
The Chief Minister also underlined that recent by-election victories in Bagalkote and Davanagere South assembly segment reflected public support for the government, stating that this clearly shows that people have appreciated the Congress government and its programmes.
The CM also dismissed the opposition’s claims, alleging they lacked strategy, and said local body elections would be conducted as per rules.
