Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Thursday met senior BJP leader and Union minister Amit Shah here, and is also likely to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief JP Nadda during his two-day visit, sources said.

While Adityanath will meet PM Modi on Friday, his meeting with Nadda may take place Thursday itself or on Friday, the sources added. He is expected to be in the national capital for two days.

Adityanath is coming to Delhi a day after Jitin Prasada, a former Congress leader who comes from a well-known Brahmin family of Uttar Pradesh, left the party and joined the BJP.

The BJP hopes that Jitin’s defection will send a positive signal to the Brahmin voters. Brahmins make up roughly half of the 20 per cent upper caste population of Uttar Pradesh and have supported different parties at different times. Jitin could get a key position in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, BJP sources said.

The chief minister’s visit to the national capital assumes significance as the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh is going to polls early next year.

Earlier this month, BJP's general secretary BL Santhosh had visited the state to review the party's preparations for Assembly elections due next year.

Adityanath’s visit comes at a time when there have been reports of despair and helplessness and widespread criticism of his government over its tackling of the pandemic that had apparently prompted the central leadership to rush Santhosh and Singh to Uttar Pradesh for the stock-taking exercise.