Lagatar24 Desk
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya dismissed Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s recent ‘monsoon offer’ as “Mungerilal ke haseen sapne,” referencing the 1989 TV show known for its daydreaming lead character, Mungerilal.
In a scathing response, Maurya likened the SP to a “sinking ship” and predicted a repeat of the BJP’s 2017 electoral success in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. “In 2027, people and BJP workers will again bring the ‘monsoon offer’ to 47. A sinking ship and a dying party with an uncertain present and future…he (Yadav) may see ‘Mungerilal ke haseen sapne’ but his dreams cannot be fulfilled. We will repeat 2017 in 2027 and ensure that the ‘Lotus’ (BJP’s symbol) government is formed again,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter, without directly naming Yadav.
In 2017, the BJP secured a landslide victory with 312 out of 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the SP, then led by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, managed only 47 seats. In the subsequent 2022 elections, the BJP maintained its dominance with 255 seats, while the SP improved its tally to 111.
Maurya’s remarks came a day after Akhilesh Yadav’s cryptic post on X, suggesting a ‘monsoon offer’ with the phrase, “Monsoon offer: Sau lao, sarkar banao (bring 100 [legislators], form the government).” This was widely interpreted as an invitation to BJP detractors to defect and form a new government, potentially aimed at those dissatisfied with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is expected to seek a third consecutive term in 2027.
Speculation about a rift between Adityanath and Maurya has been fueled by the BJP’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The party’s tally in Uttar Pradesh dropped to 33 seats, a significant decline from 71 in 2014 and 62 in 2019, while the SP, in alliance with the Congress, secured 37 seats.
The BJP also lost the Faizabad parliamentary seat, which includes the holy city of Ayodhya, to the SP. This was particularly notable as the BJP had campaigned on the promise of constructing the Ram Temple, a commitment realized after the Supreme Court’s favorable verdict in November 2019.
