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New state BJP chief: After Gujarat and Jharkhand, will it be Uttar Pradesh’s turn?
There is speculation about possible names and the balancing act between caste equations, regional aspirations and organisational needs ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
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The BJP’s announcement of election of the state president in Gujarat and appointment of the working state chief in Jharkhand has once again brought the spotlight back on Uttar Pradesh, where the suspense over the new party chief is stretching into months despite the state being central to national politics.
The BJP’s central leadership on Thursday announced the programme for the election of the state president in Gujarat where minister and OBC leader Jagdish Vishwakarma was the only candidate to file nomination papers for the post on Friday, a party leader said.
The announcement of the new name is scheduled for Saturday.
Similarly, the party’s central leadership on Friday appointed Ravindra Kumar Rai as the working president of its Jharkhand unit.
“We hope the Central leadership may take a call on UP too very soon though till now there are no feelers so far,” a senior BJP leader said.
He said though the central leadership named Ravindra Kumar Rai as the working president in Jharkhand, the bigger possibility is that the party would fulfil all the formalities of election in UP, as it did in Gujarat.
“The election schedule is likely to be announced in advance to elect the new president in place of the current chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary even though the leadership has already decided on the new name. In that case, only a single nomination will be filed to avoid voting as the party did in Gujarat,” he added.
Union minister Piyush Goyal already stands as the observer for the poll of BJP state president in UP and he is expected to come to Lucknow to oversee the entire election process.
The delay of over eight months has triggered fresh discussions within party circles. There is speculation about possible names and the balancing act between caste equations, regional aspirations and organisational needs ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
Insiders say the leadership is weighing options carefully, given UP’s role as the biggest contributor to the BJP’s parliamentary strength.
The state party organisations is believed to have already suggested around half-a-dozen names, two each from the upper castes, SC and OBC for the post though the Centre’s decision will be the final one.
The prolonged wait is also fuelling unease among cadres, who now see the Gujarat and Jharkhand appointments as a signal that the UP decision could come sooner than later.
“Maybe, there will be some development by Saturday night,” another BJP leader said.
