UP BJP state president decision after national chief's election

Lucknow: Speculation over the appointment of a new Uttar Pradesh BJP president continues to swirl, with party insiders indicating that the state unit may only get a new leader after the election of the party's national president.

Earlier, it was widely believed that the state BJP president would be named first, followed by the national president. However, sources now suggest the sequence will be reversed, with the national leadership election preceding the appointment in UP.

One key reason cited is that the quorum for the national election process—requiring the selection of state presidents in a majority of states—has already been achieved. Elections have been completed in 28 states so far.

A senior BJP leader told PTI, "The Uttar Pradesh unit will get its new president only after the election of the national president."

He added, "A clear message has been sent to the aspirants from UP to go back and continue working on the ground. The decision will be conveyed when the time comes."

He, however, said that what the top leadership of the party decides regarding the state president cannot be predicted.

When asked who the next president might be, the leader said, "It's difficult to predict now because the party considers long-term electoral and political equations, not just immediate circumstances."

Uttar Pradesh, the BJP's most politically significant state, has 98 organisational districts, comprising 75 administrative districts and metropolitan units.

In the second half of March, the BJP's state organisational election in-charge and former Union minister Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey announced 70 district presidents. That announcement had triggered speculation that the state president would soon be named, as the selection process requires more than half of the organisational districts to be in place.

Four months on, however, the party has yet to move forward. Even the list of members of the state council—who serve as voters and proposers in the presidential election—has not yet been released.

A party official told PTI that these council members are essential to complete the election process.

Names of several potential contenders have been doing the rounds. With panchayat elections due in 2026 and the state assembly polls slated for 2027, the BJP is believed to be weighing caste and regional factors, as well as the strategy of its main rival, the Samajwadi Party (SP), which has intensified its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) campaign.

Sources close to the party suggest the BJP may once again turn to the backward classes for its new state chief. Since 2016, the post has been held by leaders from both the Brahmin and OBC communities: Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey (Brahmin), Swatantra Dev Singh, and incumbent Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, from the OBC community.

In the past, the combination of OBC leader Kalyan Singh (Lodh) and Brahmin leader Kalraj Mishra helped consolidate the BJP in the state.

However, since then, the Lodh community has not been given a leadership role. Analysts believe the Lodh community’s claim is strong this time, with state minister Dharmpal Singh and Union minister B.L. Verma emerging as front-runners. However, any decision is likely to involve the consent of Kalyan Singh's family, including his son and former MP Rajveer Singh, and grandson and state minister Sandeep Singh.

From the Kurmi community—another dominant OBC group—leaders like Vinay Katiyar, Om Prakash Singh, and Swatantra Dev Singh have previously led the state unit, and Singh is once again considered a strong contender. Other names include Rajya Sabha MP Babu Lal Nishad and former Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, both from the Nishad community.

If the BJP decides to appoint a Brahmin as the state president, the likely candidates include former Deputy Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma, party general secretary and MLC Govind Narayan Shukla, Gautam Buddha Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, and former MP Harish Dwivedi.

The BJP is also eyeing Dalit voters, particularly the influential Sonkar sub-caste that stretches from eastern to western UP.

In this context, former MP and ex-state general secretary Vidyasagar Sonkar's name is being considered. Several non-Jatav Dalit leaders are also said to be in contention.

When contacted, BJP state spokesperson Harishchandra Srivastava told PTI, "The organisational election process in BJP follows the sequence from booth to mandal (division) to district. Only after these elections is the state president chosen by the state council members."

He added, "With elections completed in more than half the districts, the party’s central leadership will announce a schedule through the designated election officer, and the state president will be elected accordingly."

Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, an OBC (Jat), is the current state president, having been appointed in August 2022—a move then seen as an effort to recalibrate the party’s caste equations in western Uttar Pradesh.