As an unsettled BJP looks to set its house in order in Uttar Pradesh amid reports of differences within the party, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath set political circles abuzz with a meeting with Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel on Thursday evening. Pallavi is the sister and rival of Union Minister Anupriya Patel, the leader of BJP ally Apna Dal (Soneylal), who has twice targeted the Adityanath government in as many months. Last month, Anupriya, whose husband Ashish Patel is a UP Cabinet minister, wrote to the CM alleging that quota seats were becoming “un-reserved” during the state government’s recruitment process. Earlier this month, she wrote another letter to the UP government, alleging irregularities and illegal collection of money at a toll plaza in Mirzapur from where she is the MP. The government later countered both the concerns raised by Anupriya, with the public airing seen as a deliberate jibe at the Adityanath government by one of the BJP’s key NDA allies in the state. There is also a link between Pallavi and another perceived critic of Adityanath. She contested the 2022 Assembly elections on the Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket against Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu in Kaushambi district, defeating him by more than 7,000 votes. Maurya recently made comments seen as a veiled criticism of the government's functioning following the BJP’s below-par performance in the Lok Sabha elections. A senior Apna Dal (K) office-bearer confirmed that the meeting between the UP CM and Pallavi had taken place but said what was discussed was not known. “No one within the BJP or the Apna Dal has much idea about the exact reason for the closed-door meeting. Pallavi also recently raised the issue of a CBI inquiry into the death of her father Sonelal Patel, who died in a train accident (in 2009),” said a BJP leader. The meeting has put the SP on alert. Sources said the party was considering if it should use the anti-defection law against Pallavi if she joins hands with the BJP, something that could cause it trouble ahead of 10 Assembly bypolls for which the dates have not been announced yet. The Apna Dal (K) parted ways with the Akhilesh Yadav-led party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls after it was not given any seat to contest under its symbol. The SP, instead, wanted the candidates of the Apna Dal (K) to contest under its cycle symbol. Pallavi’s party went on to contest the parliamentary elections in alliance with the AIMIM and some other smaller parties as part of the PDM Nyay Morcha but they failed to make a mark. The sense of unease in the ties between the BJP and Anupriya Patel stems from the shift in OBC votes, especially Kurmi votes that Apna Dal brings to the table, to the Opposition INDIA alliance in the Lok Sabha elections. As per the BJP’s estimates, almost 70% of the Kurmi votes went to the SP-Congress alliance, in major part because of the Opposition’s “Save the Constitution” campaign that focused on fears about what a 400-strong NDA would mean for the future of the country and the Constitution. While this has triggered calls for introspection within the BJP, it has also led some BJP leaders to say the party should attempt to develop its own faces among these communities, especially Kurmis, instead of depending on allies.
