Why Keshav Prasad Maurya’s new Bihar assignment has rekindled talk of a ‘bigger national role’

Soon after the announcement, a large number of leaders — MLAs, ministers and former ministers — lined up at Maurya’s Camp Office in Lucknow to congratulate him on his new role on Tuesday evening, before he left for Bihar on Wednesday.

A party leader explained the significance of the responsibility. “While he [Maurya] has been serving as Deputy Chief Minister for the past eight years in Uttar Pradesh, he has also been assigned significant roles by the central command. This [the Bihar election] would be the third victory for the party in a state where he was assigned a key role. After the 2017 poll success in Uttar Pradesh during which he was state president, he was made co-incharge for Maharashtra in 2019, where the party performed well… and now Bihar…”

“But… being appointed as the Central Observer to select the Legislative Party leader in Bihar indicates bigger trust of the party high command in him to handle the crucial responsibility beyond UP,” the leader added.

Party leaders in UP also pointed out that after Bihar, re-organisation in Uttar Pradesh would be first on the cards. “Re-organisation will involve multiple factors… It could see changes at the Centre and a Cabinet reshuffle at the state level to balance caste equations for the 2027 Assembly polls. In this scenario, we expect a change in role for many,” said a party leader.

In this context, some within the party see Maurya playing a bigger role at the state level but most leaders feel that considering recent developments and his new assignment in Bihar, he is set for the national stage.

Several UP BJP leaders had earlier said the signs of Maurya’s elevation were “visible” for some time. Earlier this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had referred to him as “mere mitr (my friend)” at an event in Lucknow. Maurya recently led the Indian delegation to Russia carrying Lord Buddha’s Piprahwa relics.

A look at his rise

Maurya, 56, became an MLA for the first time in 2012, when he won from the Sirathu Assembly constituency in Kaushambi district. In 2014, he entered the Lok Sabha by winning the Phulpur seat. He was BJP state president in 2017, when the party came to power with a huge majority.

While many had seen him as the probable CM candidate, the party had chosen former Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath for the top post. Maurya, projected as an ‘OBC face’, and Dinesh Sharma, seen as a ‘Brahmin face’, were appointed Deputy Chief Ministers.

When the Adityanath-led BJP returned to power in the 2022 polls, Sharma was replaced by Brajesh Pathak as the deputy CM but Maurya retained his position even though he lost his election from Sirathu by about 7,000 votes to SP candidate Pallavi Patel. However, he continued to be in the limelight and was later elected as the MLC.

Considered as the “man of the cadre”, having worked closely with the RSS and VHP before joining active politics, Maurya has always been vocal about his opinions. He also participated actively during the Ram Mandir movement.

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