LUCKNOW: With the announcement of 70 district unit chiefs, the organisational revamp of the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh has set the stage for the much-awaited election of the party’s state president. Amid intense discussions at both the state and central levels, several names have emerged as frontrunners for the crucial post.Despite multiple rounds of deliberations in Lucknow and Delhi, the BJP delayed the announcement of district presidents, eventually revealing the names of 70 out of 98. While 28 remain to be named, the number announced so far is sufficient to move forward with the election of the new state BJP chief.Prominent contenders for the top post include Swatantra Dev Singh, the Jal Shakti Minister in Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet and a key OBC leader; BL Verma, a minister in the Modi government representing the Lodh community; Amar Pal Maurya, a Rajya Sabha MP and state general secretary, also from the OBC category; Dinesh Sharma, former Deputy CM and Rajya Sabha MP from the Brahmin community; and Laxmi Kant Bajpai, a Rajya Sabha member and former UP BJP president, also a Brahmin leader.Currently, the BJP’s state unit is led by Bhupendra Chaudhary, a prominent Jat leader from Moradabad in western Uttar Pradesh. However, party insiders do not rule out the possibility of the BJP retaining him due to his proximity to the central leadership.“In either case, the party will weigh the pros and cons related to caste and regional dynamics while electing the new state BJP chief, who will have the responsibility of securing victory for the party in the crucial 2027 assembly elections and the civic polls thereafter,” said a senior BJP leader.However, under Chaudhary’s leadership, the party performed poorly in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with its tally in Uttar Pradesh falling from 62 to 33 seats—the worst performance in the politically crucial state in years.Chaudhary was appointed state BJP chief in August 2022, replacing Swatantra Dev Singh, in what was seen as an attempt to appease the Jat community in western UP following growing resentment among farmers against the central and state governments.“As per the party’s constitution, a minimum of 50% of the total district presidents are required to complete the process of electing the state president. With the announcement of 70 of the 98 presidents, that minimum requirement now stands fulfilled,” said Bhupendra Chaudhary.Now, the election of the UP BJP chief will take place at the discretion of the central leadership, he added.Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed election officer to oversee the process. The party has already decided that the election of mandal, district, and state presidents will be conducted through consensus rather than voting.The completion of the state president elections will pave the way for the election of the BJP’s national president. According to the party’s constitution, the national election process can only begin after at least 50% of the state presidents and other office bearers have been elected.“In fact, only a dozen states have been able to elect their state presidents and other office-bearers so far,” said a senior BJP leader, indicating that the national president’s election might face further delays.Current BJP president and Union Minister JP Nadda took over from Amit Shah in 2019 for a five-year term and has since been serving on an extended tenure.The organisational elections in Uttar Pradesh began in November 2024 and have been ongoing for the past three months.
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