BJP’s Alleged Displeasure with Jayant Chaudhary Over Vote Transfer in Western UP

As the NDA government’s oath-taking ceremony is scheduled for the 9th of June, reports of discord within the coalition are beginning to surface. During the Friday meeting of the NDA, where Narendra Modi was unanimously chosen as the parliamentary party leader for the third time, all allied parties including the BJP were invited. While the BJP and other allied party leaders were present on the stage alongside Modi, Jayant Chaudhary, the chief of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), was conspicuously absent.

The absence of Jayant Chaudhary at the NDA meeting led to the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress taking it as a snub and disrespect towards him. The SP shared photos of the incident on their social media accounts, criticizing the BJP for not offering Chaudhary a seat on the stage. They insinuated that the BJP’s supposed animosity towards the Jat community was evident through snubs to Chaudhary as well as puppetry regarding honoring Chaudhary Charan Singh and Ajit Singh. They suggested that if Chaudhary truly stands for the welfare of farmers, he should distance himself from the NDA and speak up against BJP’s actions detrimental to farmers.

On the other hand, the Congress also pointed out the perceived humiliation of Jayant Chaudhary by not being given a place on the stage with Narendra Modi. They indicated that whoever goes with Modi will face the same fate, implying that joining the party results in disrespect and dishonor.

After the NDA’s parliamentary party meeting, Jayant Chaudhary refrained from making direct comments on the matter. He simply remarked that Narendra Modi was chosen as the Prime Minister for his dedicated work over the last 10 years and that they held discussions on several matters during the NDA meeting.

A close aide of Chaudhary mentioned that the lack of seating for Chaudhary was just a management issue and not a significant concern. The central hall was crowded with BJP MPs, Chief Ministers, and leaders from allied NDA parties, explaining the seating mishap. They portrayed the matter as a non-issue and were nonchalant about it saying it was probably an inadvertent mistake.

Furthermore, while Jayant Chaudhary won both his seats with BJP votes, he allegedly faced difficulty transferring Jats and farmers’ votes in Western Uttar Pradesh to the BJP. This resulted in the loss of one Jat Minister from the region. Reportedly, BJP leadership, especially concerning UP’s Jat leader in the NDA, are displeased with Chaudhary and are hesitant to grant him a ministerial position. However, owing to no Jat leader’s victory on a BJP ticket in Western UP, Chaudhary appears to be the only viable option for the role, compelling them to offer him a ministerial post.