Brahmin MLAs’ Baati-Chokha dinner meeting in Lucknow heats up Uttar Pradesh politics

Uttar Pradesh politics is once again abuzz with discussions about caste equations. Nearly four dozen Brahmin MLAs and MLCs of the ruling BJP attended an informal baati-chokha dinner meeting in Lucknow.

The meeting on Tuesday night has intensified political activity in the state.

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The meeting was held at the official residence of BJP MLA P N Pathak from Kushinagar, at his official residence. A large number of Brahmin MLAs and MLCs were present, including MLAs Ratnakar Mishra, Prakash Dwivedi, Prem Narayan Pandey, Shalabh Mani Tripathi, Ankur Raj Tiwari, Vinay Dwivedi, Rishi Tiwari, Vivekananda Pandey, and Kailashnath Shukla. MLC Saket Mishra, son of retired bureaucrat Nripendra Mishra, also attended the meeting.

This meeting is considered politically significant because just a few days ago, the BJP appointed seven-time MP Pankaj Chaudhary from Maharajganj as the new president of the Uttar Pradesh BJP. Pankaj Chaudhary belongs to the Kurmi community. Therefore, this dinner meeting is being seen as a display of activism and a message from the Brahmin leadership within the party.

Political analysts believe that the BJP’s vote share declined in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after a section of the OBCs, particularly the Kurmi community, distanced themselves from the party. Against this backdrop, this meeting of Brahmin MLAs is being seen as an attempt to put pressure on the party leadership to maintain caste balance.

However, one of the MLAs who attended the meeting described it as a purely social gathering and said that it should not be linked to any political objective. Nevertheless, political observers say that the way MLAs from various caste groups have been gathering in separate meetings recently provides a glimpse into the BJP’s internal strategies ahead of the upcoming 2027 assembly elections.

According to sources, such meetings are likely to further intensify political activity within the state BJP in the coming days. It is noteworthy that a meeting of about 40 Thakur MLAs from Uttar Pradesh was held in Lucknow during the previous monsoon session of the state assembly. This meeting was given the name “Kutumb Parivar” (Family Gathering). The gathering of approximately 40 out of the total 49 Thakur MLAs in the state had raised several questions in political circles.

Following these meetings, the state BJP organisation submitted a detailed report to the central leadership. This report specifically mentioned factionalism among MLAs belonging to a particular caste. Now, the gathering of Brahmin MLAs has further intensified the political activity in the state.