Stirring the political pot in Uttar Pradesh, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections due to overconfidence, despite having a government in the state. Maurya made these remarks at an OBC (Other Backward Classes) meet of the party, adding fuel to reports of a growing rift between him and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

“Elections are not won on the strength of the government, they are won on the strength of the party,” Maurya stated. “Was there our government there in 2014 or 2017 when we won? But in 2024, we were overconfident and thought we would win as we had a government… elections are not won on the basis of the government. It is always the party that contests and wins polls.”

Maurya, who left the event before the arrival of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, emphasized that the BJP would come back stronger in the 2027 assembly elections. His comments come on the heels of his recent remarks that seemingly criticized his own government, where he stated that the party organization was bigger than any government and that he was a party worker first and then a Deputy CM.

In the aftermath of the BJP’s losses in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Maurya had also met with senior BJP leaders in Delhi. His absence from several cabinet meetings chaired by the Chief Minister has fueled speculation of a power tussle between the two leaders. Earlier on Monday, Maurya appeared alongside Chief Minister Adityanath in the state assembly, which was seen as a protocol-driven presence rather than a sign of unity.