LUCKNOW: Even after five months past the party’s expected timeline, the wait for the new president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the ruling BJP continues.
The delay is a hot topic in the political corridors of the state. Experts feel that the BJP is taking time to pick a leader who can lead the party not only through the upcoming panchayat elections but also the significant 2027 battle.
A section of leaders believes that the state will get a new chief only after the election of a new national BJP president. The term of the current UP BJP chief, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, a Jat leader from western UP ended in January 2023, concurrent with BJP national president JP Nadda’s term.
Chaudhary was appointed UP BJP chief on August 29, 2022. At the time, he was the Panchayati Raj Minister in Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet.
The appointment was seen as an attempt to reach out to the influential Jat community, which had spearheaded the year-long farmers’ protest ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
While CM Yogi Adityanath hails from eastern UP, the party then sought regional balance by appointing Chaudhary. Incidentally, since Nadda’s term has been extended, Chaudhary’s term has also been extended.
Notably, organisational elections at the lower levels have been completed in the state. On March 16, new district presidents were appointed in 70 of the 98 districts as per the party’s configuration. Since then, however, no step has been taken to elect a new state chief.
Although deliberations on appointing a new UP BJP chief began in January, and National General Secretary BL Santosh had said a new state president would be announced by January 15, party workers had expected a final decision by then—or at least by January 30. Five months have passed, yet there’s still no development or indication from the party regarding the impending election.
In the absence of concrete steps, speculation abounds over probable names for the post. OBC leaders like Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Animal Husbandry Minister Dharampal Singh, Rajya Sabha member Baburam Nishad, and MLC Ashok Kataria are in the race. From the Scheduled Castes category, former minister Ram Shankar Katheria and MLC Vidyasagar Sonkar are being discussed. A few Brahmin community names, former Basti MP Harish Dwivedi, Rajya Sabha member Dr. Dinesh Sharma, MLA Srikant Sharma, and Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay are also prominent in discussions.
Political experts note that the BJP, known for its strategic planning, faces the crucial challenge of the upcoming panchayat elections.
“The appointment of the state president will be made with that in mind. The party is busy understanding the mathematics of the panchayat polls,” says Prof. A.K. Mishra, a prominent political scientist.
Party insiders say the delay in announcing a new state chief is also hindering changes in the regional presidencies, four out of the six regions (Awadh, Kashi, Braj, West Gorakhpur, and Kanpur).
Complaints against one or two regional presidents have surfaced. These leaders are uncertain about their political futures and are conducting party programs and campaigns half-heartedly. “Their entire focus is on either becoming regional president again or finding a spot in the new state team,” says a senior BJP leader.
Moreover, regional presidents have not been allowed to form their own teams, having to work with 2021’s team. Insiders say central leadership received complaints about irregularities in forming regional and district teams, leading to an unofficial ban on announcing executive committees.
At the same time, the state presidents of BJP’s Mahila Morcha, Yuva Morcha, OBC Morcha, Kisan Morcha, SC Morcha, ST Morcha, and Minority Morcha have been working for about four years, no changes were made during Chaudhary’s tenure. Once a new BJP state president is appointed, the state presidents of all morchas will also be replaced.