BJP to announce next UP president on December 14; Union MoS Pankaj Chaudhary emerges as frontrunner: Sources
Pankaj Chaudhary is also an OBC face and according to sources, he has emerged as the frontrunner for Uttar Pradesh BJP president's post. The saffron party will likely make an announcement in this regard on Sunday (December 14).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may appoint Pankaj Chaudhary as party's Uttar Pradesh unit chief, said sources on Friday. Chaudhary is currently serving as the Union Minister of State for Finance and is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh's Mahrajganj.
Chaudhary is also an OBC face and according to sources, he has emerged as the frontrunner for Uttar Pradesh BJP president's post. The saffron party will likely make an announcement in this regard on Sunday (December 14).
Currently, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary is serving as Uttar Pradesh BJP president. Chaudhary, who is a member of Legislative Council in the state and is a prominent Jat face, assumed the charge in August 2022, succeeding Swatantra Dev Singh.
"We now have more than 2.5 crore active members. Local committee elections have been completed. Out of 98 districts, we have already declared 84 district presidents. Our organisation is fully prepared for the election of the new state president," Chaudhary said on December 2, while interacting with reporters in Amethi.
Other candidates in fray
Meanwhile, other candidates who are in fray for BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit chief are former Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Rajya Sabha MP BL Verma, state ministers Swatantra Dev Singh and Dharmpal Singh. Like Chaudhary, Jyoti is an OBC and belongs to the Nishad community. Verma is also an OBC, but he represents the Lodhi community.
There is a huge possibility of BJP appointing an OBC leader as its president in Uttar Pradesh, keeping next year's local body elections and the 2027 assembly polls in mind. In the 2022 elections, the BJP retained power in the state for a second consecutive term, winning 255 seats in the 403-member Legislative Assembly.
In total, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had won 273 seats in 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections. Though Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party failed to ousted the BJP, it improved its performance from the 2017 elections and won 111 seats.
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