Change In Eastern UP Politics? How Radha Mohan Das Agrawal Manoeuvred His Way To Become BJP General Secretary

As part of a recent reshuffle of the national team, BJP president JP Nadda appointed Rajya Sabha MP Radha Mohan Das Agrawal as one of the eight party general secretaries. Agrawal now joins Arun Singh as one of the two national general secretaries from Uttar Pradesh.

This appointment is a significant promotion for Agrawal, as his political influence has been steadily increasing in the saffron camp over the past few years. His rise in stature also signals a changing political landscape in the Gorakhpur region of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Agrawal, a seasoned politician with four terms as an MLA, has represented the Gorakhpur city Assembly seat since 2002. However, he had to relinquish his position to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the 2022 Assembly polls. Adityanath emerged victorious with an impressive margin.

Following this development, some of Agrawal's political adversaries began prematurely writing his political obituaries. However, in July 2022, the BJP leadership made the decision to secure his election to the Rajya Sabha.

Adityanath, a two-term CM and former MP from Gorakhpur, has been a dominant figure in Gorakhpur politics for many years.

Shiv Pratap Shukla, a prominent BJP leader from Gorakhpur, was appointed as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh earlier this year.

Agrawal is now the third leader from Gorakhpur to rise through the BJP ranks. Sources say that the relationships between Agrawal, Shukla, and Adityanath have been strained.

In the 2002 Assembly poll, Agrawal entered electoral politics by running as a Hindu Mahasabha candidate in Gorakhpur city. He defeated the BJP candidate Shiv Pratap Shukla, with sources stating that the BJP and RSS cadres quietly supported Agrawal due to their dissatisfaction with Shukla. However, shortly after the election, Agrawal joined the BJP.

Known as RMD in Gorakhpur, Agrawal successfully defended his seat in the 2007, 2012, and 2017 polls as a BJP candidate. Initially, the Goraksh Math had backed him in his first election in 2002, but later distanced itself from him. Adityanath has been the head of the Goraksh Math for many years.

The Gorakhpur region's political landscape has long been characterized by polarization between two prominent castes, the Brahmins and Thakurs.

With the BJP holding continuous power since 2017, the Thakur community has rallied behind the party. Nevertheless, even within the BJP, there exists a divide between the Thakur and Brahmin factions.

Agrawal, a pediatrician by profession, is regarded as a popular leader in Gorakhpur. During his election campaigns, he preferred direct engagement with the voters and rarely held public meetings. He mostly traveled in his small car for campaign purposes.

Agrawal mentioned, "After an accident, I sold my Maruti 800 car. Now I don't have a car. I commute from the IGI airport to my Delhi residence by Metro and then take the Parliament ferry service to attend the House proceedings."

After his promotion in the BJP, Agrawal has been given a party car for his use.

Critics within the BJP argue that Agrawal's limited recognition beyond Gorakhpur will not significantly benefit the party.

Agrawal has held various positions within the BJP, including co-in-charge of the Kerala unit and in-charge of the Lakshadweep unit. He has also served as a member of the UP BJP Executive and worked as the party in-charge in certain districts of the state. In Gorakhpur, he played a key role in organizing the Lok Sabha polls that Adityanath contested.

According to sources within the BJP, the relationship between Agrawal and Adityanath became strained after Adityanath took office as the Chief Minister for the first time in March 2017.

In August 2020, the BJP issued a show-cause notice to Agrawal for his criticism of the UP Police and his suggestion to replace top officials to improve the Adityanath government's image.

Agrawal had tweeted about the police's diminishing effectiveness and recommended the replacement of senior officers, including the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and the Director General of Police.

The tweet was in response to a murder and alleged rape case in Bhadohi district. However, the BJP dropped the matter after Agrawal responded to the notice.