Keshav Prasad Maurya health update: UP BJP chief doing better, was suffering from overwork

Keshav Prasad Maurya, chief of the UP's BJP unit and one of the saffron party’s CM contenders has been admitted to the ICU of RML hospital in New Delhi, reported ANI. It’s unclear why Maurya was admitted to the hospital. Meanwhile, a tweet from Maurya’s handle thanked people for their affection and blessings and stated that he was ‘completely healthy’.

आप सबका स्नेह व आशीर्वाद मेरे साथ है मैं पूर्णतया स्वस्थ हूं.. बीजेपी अध्यक्ष केशव प्रसाद मौर्य

— Keshav Prasad Maurya (@kpmaurya1) March 16, 2017

भारत के माननीय गृह मंत्री श्री राजनाथ सिंह जी को उत्तर प्रदेश में बीजेपी की ऐतिहासिक जीत की बधाई दीऔर आशीर्वाद लिया pic.twitter.com/mnPCPOUbAl

— Keshav Prasad Maurya (@kpmaurya1) March 16, 2017

According to a senior doctor of the hospital, the 48-year-old leader was admitted at 3.38 PM. "He was suffering from cough and cold and mild fever for last seven days and overwork due to his political commitments. "On admission his blood pressure was slightly higher. At present he is fully conscious and better. He is kept under observation for further evaluation," medical superintendent Dr A K Gadpayle said. 

Who will be the new UP CM?

Suspense continued over who will be the new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, four days after the BJP's resounding triumph in the key Hindi heartland state, where the party won 325 seats with its allies.

While the BJP scrambled to form its governments in Goa and Manipur, where it was not even the single largest party, hurriedly cobbling together post-poll alliances, amid the charge of "stealing" the mandate, the party leadership is taking its own sweet time to decide the Chief Minister of the country's most populous and politically significant state.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the tallest party leader from Uttar Pradesh and a former Chief Minister to boot, is said to be among the frontrunners for the coveted job, but he was dismissive about the possibility.

"Kya faltu baat kar rahe hain (what nonsensical talk are you doing)," he retorted when asked by reporters outside Parliament House whether he was a contender. He described the speculation about his return to state politics "unnecessary and futile".

Singh has vast administrative experience, including as UP Chief Minister in 2000-02. As speculation swirled about the possibility of a BJP legislature party meeting tomorrow, the party's state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya said, "The picture will be clear in the next two to four days." When asked whether all 312 newly elected BJP MLAs will meet here tomorrow as reported in the media, Maurya, a Lok Sabha MP and himself in the running for the top job, said, "No such meeting has been convened in the first place. So, there is no question of holding or putting it off." He said the meeting will take place whenever the party leadership decides.

However, at the daily media briefing of the Home Department, IG (Special Task Force) Ram Kumar, while responding to a question said Prime Minister Narendra Modi could visit Lucknow on March 17.

"Prime Minister Modi may visit Lucknow on March 17. Preparations are going on (in anticipation). IG (Lucknow Zone) is monitoring all the preparations," he said. He, however, maintained he had no knowledge of whether it was in connection with the swearing-in of the new government.

The names of a host of leaders, including some sitting MPs are doing the rounds in political circles.

Among them is that of Manoj Sinha, an upper caste Bhumihar from the 'Poorvanchal' belt where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi is also located.

Sinha, MP from Ghazipur, is serving his third term in the Lok Sabha and was given independent charge of Communication Ministry by Modi last year after he impressed him with his performance as Minister of State for Railways.

While Singh and Sinha are upper caste Thakur and Bhumihar respectively, Maurya has emerged as the OBC face of the party.

His elevation as state BJP chief, many feel, helped rally non-Yadav backward castes around the party.

Given the sheer sweep of BJP's victory which extended beyond geographical and caste boundaries, the party can have the luxury of nominating a person for the top job who can deliver on Modi's development agenda and the promise of putting down alleged lawlessness in the state under Samajwadi Party.

Rajnath Singh, a senior leader said, fits the bill because of his stature and administrative experience. He was also capable of bridging caste faultlines.

Top party sources told PTI in the national capital that barring Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, who have been holding consultations over government formation, hardly anybody had any real clue as to what was happening behind the scene.

Besides the three leaders, some in the party are also

hopeful about the prospects of Suresh Khanna and Satish Mahana, two MLAs who have been elected to the state assembly for eighth and seventh time. Khanna was the BJP legislature party leader in the outgoing assembly.

Names of Shrikant Sharma and Sidharth Nath Singh, two party national scretaries elected as MLAs for the first time, are also being mentioned as probables by a section of leaders, largely because of their proximity to the central leadership.

However, their inexperience is seen as a handicap in a large and complex state like Uttar Pradesh. Though firebrand five-term Lok Sabha member Yogi Adityanath (44) is the choice of the more vocal among the party workers, the seasoned ones believe that his brand of politics might not be beneficial for the party in the long run. Also, his hard line 'Hindutva' may not help in carrying along all sections.

The name of amiable Lucknow mayor and party's national vice-president Dinesh Sharma (53) is also being discussed.

He is a Brahmin.

When contacted, some newly elected MLAs told PTI they have not been officially communicated about any meeting of the legislature party.

Mukut Bihari and Janmejai Singh, who have been elected from Kaisarganj and Deoria respectively, said they have no information about the meeting.

Apna Dal(S) leader and Union minister Anupriya Patel said very soon the people of UP would get their new CM.

Apna Dal(S) is an alliance partner of BJP-led NDA and has won 9 seats.

Modi, in one of his election speeches, had said that allies would get a chance in government when BJP came to power

With inputs from PTI and ANI