Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on Saturday filed his nomination papers for the post of the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief, and was the only candidate to do so. The formal announcement of the state president will be made by the central election officer and Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday.
Chaudhary submitted the papers to former Union minister and BJP state election officer Mahendra Nath Pandey and central election observer Vinod Tawde in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, and Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh at the Lucknow office.
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The proposers for Pankaj Chaudhary include Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, Smriti Irani, Swatantra Dev Singh, Surya Pratap Shahi, Swatantra Dev Singh, Suresh Khanna, and Baby Rani Maurya.
After filing the sole nomination for UP BJP president election, Chaudhary said, "Nomination has been filed. Scrutiny is underway. When the announcement is made tomorrow, something more can be said...No post is big or small. Whatever responsibility is assigned, as a worker of the party, we shoulder it with full dedication..."
Piyush Goyal said, "The process of scrutinizing the nomination papers has just been completed. The rest of the process will take place tomorrow afternoon. The further schedule will be announced at that time."
Single nomination was filed
On the UP BJP President election, Minister Swantantra Dev Singh said, "The party state president election has concluded. A single nomination was filed. The nomination papers are being checked, and the official announcement will be made tomorrow. We were in favour of Pankaj Chaudhary. Many people, including district teams, MLAs, MLCs, MPs, the respected Chief Minister, Deputy CM, and other senior leaders, were present and supported the proposal."
Political analysts believe that the election of the state BJP president in a politically crucial state like Uttar Pradesh will be shaped by the upcoming panchayat polls and the 2027 Assembly elections. According to experts, the party is likely to opt for a leader with strong regional influence and favourable caste equations.
Deputy CM Maurya said, "The election process for the BJP Uttar Pradesh state president has begun. Nominations were filed today, and the election will be held tomorrow. Under the leadership of the new state president, we will defeat the Samajwadi Party in the 2027 Assembly elections. Just as we achieved victory in Bihar, we will win in Uttar Pradesh as well. We are fully confident of securing an even bigger victory in 2027 than we did in 2017."
Who is Pankaj Chaudhary?
Chaudhary, a seven-time MP from the Maharajganj Lok Sabha constituency, belongs to the Kurmi community, which is classified under the Other Backward Classes (OBC). He is widely regarded as a trusted confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The Kurmi community holds significant sway within the OBC community throughout Uttar Pradesh, and in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2022 assembly elections, they showed their inclination towards the state's main opposition party, the Samajwadi Party.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has appointed leaders from the Kurmi community as the state president thrice -- former MP Vinay Katiyar, former minister Om Prakash Singh and Swatantra Dev Singh.
Also Read: BJP to announce next UP president on December 14; Pankaj Chaudhary emerges as frontrunner: Sources
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