Editor's Pick: Ahead of polls senior minister quits UP Government

Ahead of the Assembly election in the most crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP received a big jolt as senior OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from the State Cabinet, accusing the Yogi Adityanath Government of neglecting Dalits, OBCs, farmers and the youth, raising questions on the BJP’s OBC push in Eastern and Central UP. No sooner did Mr. Maurya submit his resignation, than Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, took to twitter posting an undated photograph of himself with Mr. Maurya and welcoming the OBC leader and his supporters into his fold. UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya also took to Twitter to make an appeal to the disgruntled leader. “Decisions taken in haste often prove to be wrong,” Mr Prasad tweeted. Three more MLAs –two from the OBC bloc and one Dalit—said they were leaving the BJP and would follow Mr. Maurya. In fact, one of them, Brajesh Kumar Prajapati, MLA from Banda, has submitted his resignation letter to the party. The five-time MLA, who held multiple portfolios in the state government, is yet to formally resign from the BJP and is keeping his cards close to his chest and remains tight-lipped on his next move. He said he would make a formal decision on joining another party after consultation with his supporters. “Now they will know the status of Swami Prasad Maurya. In the 2022 election, they will know what mass base I have. The party where I go will join the government,” Mr. Maurya said. Mr. Maurya’s daughter is the BJP MP from Badaun. The UP story is on the front page as the lead in the newspaper. The defection should worry the BJP which won over 320 seats in the 403 Assembly segments in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The defections are an indication that elections will not be a cake-walk for the party. The Hindu Editorials Straws in the wind: On defections from BJP ahead of U.P. polls Young knights: On Indian chess Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click here Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Name the politician and Nobel laureate from Myanmar who was sentenced to four years jail on Monday. 1. Myint Swe 2. Min Aung Hlaing 3. Aung San Suu Kyi 4. Win Myint To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 12 JANUARY 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Ahead of polls senior minister quits UP Government [Ahead of polls senior minister quits UP Government] Ahead of the Assembly election in the most crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP received a big jolt as senior OBC leader [Swami Prasad Maurya resigned]( from the State Cabinet, accusing the Yogi Adityanath Government of neglecting Dalits, OBCs, farmers and the youth, raising questions on the BJP’s OBC push in Eastern and Central UP. No sooner did Mr. Maurya submit his resignation, than Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, took to twitter posting an undated photograph of himself with Mr. Maurya and welcoming the OBC leader and his supporters into his fold. UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya also took to Twitter to make an appeal to the disgruntled leader. “Decisions taken in haste often prove to be wrong,” Mr Prasad tweeted. Three more MLAs –two from the OBC bloc and one Dalit—said they were leaving the BJP and would follow Mr. Maurya. In fact, one of them, Brajesh Kumar Prajapati, MLA from Banda, has submitted his resignation letter to the party. The five-time MLA, who held multiple portfolios in the state government, is yet to formally resign from the BJP and is keeping his cards close to his chest and remains tight-lipped on his next move. He said he would make a formal decision on joining another party after consultation with his supporters. “Now they will know the status of Swami Prasad Maurya. In the 2022 election, they will know what mass base I have. The party where I go will join the government,” Mr. Maurya said. Mr. Maurya’s daughter is the BJP MP from Badaun. The UP story is on the front page as the lead in the newspaper.  The [defection should worry the BJP]( won over 320 seats in the 403 Assembly segments in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The defections are an indication that elections will not be a cake-walk for the party. [underlineimg] The Hindu Editorials [Arrow][Straws in the wind: On defections from BJP ahead of U.P. polls]( [Arrow]  [Young knights: On Indian chess]( [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( [underlineimg] Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Name the politician and Nobel laureate from Myanmar who was sentenced to four years jail on Monday. 1. Myint Swe 2. Min Aung Hlaing 3. Aung San Suu Kyi 4. Win Myint To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here](. 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