Exclusive: Did Smriti complain about Yogi over internal sabotage after voting in Amethi?

New Delhi: All is not seemingly well in the Bharatiya Janata Party after the latest phase of voting for Lok Sabha polls. 

Two of its top most leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Smriti Irani and Yogi Adityanath, have apparently been involved in a tussle after voting on May 20 in Amethi. 

The strain in ties between the two emerged after internal surveys of the party predicted a less than rosy picture for the giant killer, Irani, from the Amethi constituency.

There have reportedly been allegations by the Union Minister’s camp that the local BJP unit and its cadre were less than enthusiastic about taking on and fulfilling election-related responsibilities in Amethi.

It has been alleged that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister hasn't shown as much keenness in getting Irani elected, as was shown in 2019. 

There have been allegations that an attempt was made to sabotage the campaign of the Union Minister in the key constituency in an attempt to scuttle her electoral prospects, sources said.

The feud has also been brought to the notice of the top leadership of the party which is expected to act on these inputs after the Lok Sabha results are declared on June 4, sources added.

Despite the absence of any Gandhi family member as a direct candidate in Amethi, it is still one of the most keenly watched seats. 

The much-talked-about walkover to Irani doesn't seem to be happening as a rejuvenated Congress cadre under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is keen to unveil an upset in the Lok Sabha constituency.

The latest speculation of bickering between the two topmost BJP leaders has also brought to the fore that the confidence in the saffron camp may be shaking as far as the re-election of Irani from the high-profile constituency is concerned.

Irani had secured the Gandhi bastion of Amethi by defeating the scion of the family, Rahul Gandhi, by around 55,000 votes in 2019. This time around the road to victory isn’t seemingly easy and a considerably lightweight candidate, KL Sharma, is apparently giving a good fight.

Meanwhile, BJP sources have denied any such rift between two of its topmost leaders. It was also pointed out that CM Yogi, along with top leaders from the state and central BJP, had repeatedly campaigned and sought votes for Irani ahead of polling in the constituency.

With two phases of voting for Lok Sabha yet to be completed, any chinks in the BJP camp are expected to be used by the opposition INDIA bloc to secure more seats in the remaining phases.

Uttar Pradesh has been electing the largest number of BJP MPs to the Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019. And the saffron party is hoping for a similar strong show in 2024.

The importance of Uttar Pradesh in the BJP's political game plan is immense as the fight for each and every seat has become important in the saffron unit’s quest for the targeted number of 400 Lok Sabha seats for the NDA.  

The saffron leadership needs to tighten up its act and immediately stop any indiscipline within its ranks if it wants to ensure that the NDA alliance is able to secure a comfortable majority and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government comes to power for a third consecutive term.