A New Power Centre?| Uttar Pradesh

On September 5, on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, the Gandhi auditorium at Lucknow’s Raj Bhavan had turned into a sort of classroom. There was a makeshift stage and a ring of tables facing the stage. This was the first time a governor of Uttar Pradesh was holding a meeting with the entire cabinet of the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government.

The session started at 6 pm sharp. On stage, governor Anandiben Patel was flanked by Adityanath and his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma. The remaining ministers were seated in front of the governor. One by one, they introduced themselves to Patel and gave a brief profile of their departments. The chief minister, then, presented a 'report card' of his government. Adityanath highlighted the achievements of various departments and elaborated on the plans ahead. At the end of the two-hour meeting, Patel appealed to the ministers to aggressively pursue PM Narendra Modi’s agenda of eradicating tuberculosis by adopting at least one TB-affected child or patient.

Patel, who took over as the state’s 28th governor on July 29, has been proactive in the administration from the start, using her very first day in office to inspect a government-run home for children in the state capital. Among other things, the former Gujarat chief minister inspected the kitchen. In a month and a half, Patel has toured at least six districts, visiting several schools and police stations. In Kanpur, on September 12, she visited the Sachendi police station and expressed displeasure at the shabby state of the building. She also demanded information on action taken against top criminals in the area and told the officers to work extra hard.

Anandiben’s austerity measures have not gone unnoticed. She trimmed her security cover, leading to the redeployment of 50-odd police personnel who were part of her security detail. She has also cut back on the use of state aircraft, and has been opting for commercial flights instead.

Political observers say it’s a matter of time before Patel’s interest in day-to-day administrative affairs ruffles feathers in the Adityanath government. Says Ajit Kumar, retired professor of political science at Banaras Hindu University: "The governor’s activities suggest dominance over the state BJP government. Patel belongs to Gujarat and is thought to be close to the party’s top leadership, so this could create a [parallel] power centre in the state, which is not a good sign for any government."

Manish Hindvi, associate professor of political science at Lucknow University, however, does not anticipate any trouble. "The governor is an active politician and has been a BJP chief minister. The political complexion of the state and central governments is the same. A confrontation is unlikely," he says.