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Lucknow, Mar 18: The downfall of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh will lead to the rise of a new generation of leaders, who may not be associated with the Mandal agitation. With Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turning into the choice of more than 40 per cent of electorate in UP, the party is likely to give the state the next set of leaders who would dominate the state’s polity for next couple of decades. One of the those leaders is Keshav Prasad Maurya, the Sangh-rooted OBC, who came inches close to become the Chief Minister of UP. However, the party’s top brass decided to appoint Mahant Yogi Adityanath, the firebrand Brahmin leader for the top job.
Maurya has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister, along with Lucknow Mayor Dinesh Sharma.
Maurya’s story is similar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tale of rags to riches. Born in Sirathu village of Kaushambi district in 1969, Maurya’s family was deeply entrenched in poverty. From early days of his political life, Maurya has been involved in the activities of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Maurya entered electoral politics in 2002, despite being associated with BJP since the early 90s. After being selected from Kaushambi thrice in a row, his stature grew within BJP as one of the tallest OBC leaders. In 2012, BJP expelled a series of party leaders who chose to attack Maurya on public platforms.
Under the new BJP led by Amit Shah and Narendra Modi, Maurya was the organizational man, who holds grip over a vast section of party workers and volunteers. His proximity to Shah made him one of the most probable chief ministerial candidates in run-up to the elections.
One of those prospects which hindered the elevation of Maurya as the chief minister is his tainted background. The 48-year-old is facing 10 criminal cases, including a charge of murder. Among other cases filed against him include rioting and promoting enmity between people on lines of religion.
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