Cracks, Consensus, And Control: What The Changing Yogi-Shah Equation Means For Uttar Pradesh

Amit Shah's public praise for Yogi Adityanath carries particular significance amid persistent speculation about their rivalry in the race to succeed Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"In every sector, Yogi ji has effectively implemented the schemes at the grassroots level under Modi ji's leadership," Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, praising Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) in Lucknow on 15 June.

Shah was addressing 60,244 newly recruited personnel of the UP Police. This was his first visit to the state after he visited Prayagraj earlier this year for the Maha Kumbh.

Prior to this, UP CM Yogi met Shah in New Delhi on 9 June, describing it as a "courtesy call." It was their first meeting in nearly four and a half months. It was believed to be Yogi's call to Shah, inviting him to distribute joining letters to the newly recruited UP Police personnel.

Shah's presence at this event was crucial against the backdrop of youth dissatisfaction with the Yogi government over recruitment exams and the appointment of another acting Director General of Police (DGP) in UP, without the Centre's involvement.

Beyond this, there are a few other pending issues in UP, like the appointment of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president, the party overhaul after the 2024 setback, and a possible cabinet reshuffle that the two leaders might need to discuss.

That said, Shah's recent Lucknow visit, or Yogi's Delhi visit last week, did not include any party meetings as per official statements or media reports.

Nonetheless, the timing of these meetings carries deep implications for UP politics and the relationship between the two leaders. Let's understand how.

The UP DGP issue

UP has been appointing acting DGPs instead of the regular ones for the last three years to bypass the Centre's involvement in the DGP selection. Many critics call it a manifestation of the differences between Yogi and Shah.

As per the procedure laid by the Supreme Court in 2006, the state sends a list of at least five eligible officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Of them, three are shortlisted by the UPSC with the help of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The list of the three shortlisted candidates is sent back to the state, and the state is free to appoint any one of them as the DGP.

However, this system has not been functional in UP since May 2022, when then-DGP Mukul Goel was removed from his position well before his superannuation due in February 2024, over allegations of inaction and lack of interest in work.

Since Goel was approved by the MHA and the UPSC, the Yogi government was questioned by the Centre over his removal after 10 months of service as DGP, before moving forward with the appointment of the next DGP.

The UP government decided not to respond to the MHA query and went ahead with the appointment of an acting DGP, which does not need the Centre's approval. This has become a norm now, and Rajiv Krishna became the fifth acting DGP to be appointed in the last three years on 31 May.

Interestingly, Shah coming to Lucknow to distribute joining letters to the newly recruited UP Police personnel after this appointment suggests easing tensions over the UP DGP issue between the Centre and the state.

This is because it was under Krishna's leadership as chairman of the UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB) that the UP Police was able to recruit over 60,000 personnel in record time through a fair process.

Notably, in February 2024, the exam papers for the UP Police Constable recruitment leaked, and the exams were consequently cancelled. CM Yogi promised to conduct the re-exam within six months and replaced the UPPRPB chairman.

Krishna took over as UPPRPB chairman in March 2024, and his task was to conduct the re-exam within six months, despite losing close to two months to the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Krishna succeeded in conducting the constable recruitment exam for over 40 lakh applicants in August 2024 without any discrepancies. The recruitment process was completed in March 2025 with the selection of over 60,000 police personnel.

Krishna's appointment as the acting DGP after this success is being seen as a reward for successfully conducting the recruitment process. It is believed that to facilitate his appointment, Yogi skipped following set rules for appointment.

Thus, the appointment of the new acting DGP in no way is a step towards resolving the conflict between the Centre and the state over the UP DGP appointment.

However, Shah distributing joining letters to UP Police personnel recruited under Krishna's leadership indirectly approves the work done by Krishna and his appointment as the acting DGP, to some extent.

Krishna is expected to work as acting DGP till March 2026. After that, he can be appointed as regular DGP, as many officers senior to him would have retired by then, paving the path for his appointment by the set rules.

UP BJP president appointment delayed

While the DGP issue shows signs of resolution, another contentious matter remains unresolved: the appointment of UP BJP's new state president, pending for months.

The last time Yogi Adityanath paid a visit to Amit Shah, before 9 June, was in December 2024. While the meeting between Yogi and Shah was called a "courtesy visit" at that time, where the former invited the latter to the Maha Kumbh to be held in Prayagraj, it was believed that the discussions also included the UP BJP president election.

At that time, organisational elections for UP BJP had begun, and district presidents were soon to be appointed. It was believed that the district presidents would elect the state BJP president by January 2025 end.

However, things did not go as planned, even after Yogi's second meeting with Shah at the end of January during the Maha Kumbh. The last list of the district presidents came in March 2025, declaring 70 of the 98 (organisational) district presidents.

Since then, there has been no update regarding the appointment of the presidents of the remaining districts and the appointment of the UP BJP president.

In this context, the meeting between Shah and Yogi appears crucial. The delay in appointment is caused by the diverse regional and caste equations in UP, making it difficult for the party to choose a leader, especially after the 2024 Lok Sabha setback.

When Bhupendra Chaudhary was appointed the UP BJP president in August 2022, it was believed that his Other Backward Classes (OBC) background and his connection with western UP and the Jats would help the BJP.

However, in the 2024 election, the BJP lost a significant share of OBC votes and several key seats in western UP, suggesting that Chaudhary's leadership did not deliver the expected results.

The need to change the state party president was felt, but this could not be achieved without organisational elections, starting from booth levels. While these elections are almost complete, a consensus on the UP BJP president could not be reached.

Party insiders say that Shah insists on having an OBC state president, given the large electoral influence of the community, while Yogi insists on choosing a leader based on merit. Moreover, the approval of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is also necessary.

Given the diverse views of the several stakeholders, a decision on the UP BJP president could not be reached. It is expected that Yogi and Shah's recent meetings might help in resolving the differences and arriving at a consensus over the state party president.

The organisational changes

After the 2024 setback, where the BJP came down to 33 Lok Sabha seats in UP from 62 in 2019, several meetings were held among BJP leaders and with the RSS to review the drawbacks and enforce course correction changes.

But any major organisational changes, apart from the appointment of functionaries after organisation elections, are yet to be seen. However, party insiders and political observers do see one major change.

They observe that before the 2024 election, Shah used to make major decisions, including ticket distribution for UP politics, but the baton has now come to Yogi as it is believed that bypassing Yogi led to losses in many cases.

"For instance, Yogi did not want to bring back Dara Singh Chauhan (from Samajwadi Party). But he went to Delhi (Shah) for a ticket (for the 2023 Ghosi bypoll) and lost. But Shah had promised, so he (Chauhan) was made an MLC (member of the legislative council)," political commentator Amit Yadav said.

He explained that similar examples included Om Prakash Rajbhar, chief of the former SP ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), who was appointed Panchayati Raj Minister, and Jitin Prasada, a former Congress leader, who received the Public Works Department portfolio.

After the 2024 losses, Shah is believed to have distanced himself from UP politics, allowing Yogi to take all decisions, as was evident in the November 2024 UP bypolls. The results were encouraging as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won seven of nine seats.

That said, bypolls generally favour the ruling party and hence, they should not be seen as a litmus test. Moreover, at an organisational level, there has been little change in BJP's strategy to make its outreach to various caste groups more effective.

"Kuch bhi to nahin hua (nothing has happened)," a BJP worker from Prayagraj told Swarajya on the condition of anonymity when asked about strategic changes in the party.

Another party worker from Rampur, Mukesh Pathak, said, "Yogi's position has strengthened in the party. However, discussions are going on to give more place to OBCs, Dalits, and new faces."

"Apart from Hindutva, the party is also focussing on balancing caste equations and development issues. It also needs to strengthen its allies. At the same time, RSS has become more active in politics," he added.

However, these changes are yet to be seen on the ground. Until now, OBCs occupy over one-third of the positions among the BJP district presidents. The number of Scheduled Caste (SC) functionaries has also increased.

Giving representation to all caste groups in its organisation is a good start for the BJP, but it needs to translate into other outreach programmes as well, so the party can win back its lost OBC and Dalit voters.

Cabinet reshuffle in UP?

Apart from the organisational changes, the BJP is also planning to induct a few more ministers in the UP cabinet to attract certain caste groups.

The buzz around this has been ongoing since the Maha Kumbh ended, but any concrete decisions are yet to be taken in this regard. In this context too, the meeting of Yogi and Shah was important.

The UP Council of Ministers can have 60 members. The current strength is 54 including 21 Cabinet Ministers, 14 Ministers of State (independent charge) and 19 Ministers of State, leaving room for half a dozen inductments.

Among the 54 Ministers, 23 are from the General category, 22 are OBCs and nine are SCs. Along with increasing the representation of OBC and Dalit Ministers, the BJP is also planning to manage regional balance by inducting more leaders from western UP.

A BJP leader from Meerut said, "The cabinet expansion is likely to happen only after the party chooses the state president because Bhupendra Chaudhary, who would be freed from the state BJP chief's responsibility, is also likely to be inducted back."

Notably, Chaudhary was the Panchayati Raj Minister in the Yogi government since 2017. However, after he became the state party president, he had to leave this post, which was later given to SBSP chief Rajbhar.

Now, he might be inducted back, reflecting a cabinet position for an OBC leader from western UP. Furthermore, Yogi might give away some of his portfolios to other leaders to send a message of trust in others.

"Cabinet reshuffle is long overdue. But there's a huge difference in the lists of Yogi and Shah, that's why there is a delay," the Rampur BJP worker, Mukesh Pathak said.

In light of these developments in UP, the importance of the meeting between Yogi and Shah can be understood. How effective it will be in resolving the above-mentioned issues remains to be seen, but for now, the BJP has begun sending a message of unity to dispel rumours of a rift between Yogi and Shah.

"The event was to send a message that everything is alright and we are one. Anyways, it's nothing like that Yogi and Shah have bad relations. It's just that there are two power centres and friction happens sometimes," political commentator Amit Yadav said.