As the ruling party, BJP has been the centre of attraction for some time now. Similarly, the UP-BJP segment under the leadership of Yogi 2.0 has been a great talk of the town, considering the appointment of a new full-time Chief in Uttar Pradesh’s party unit.
The present UP-BJP president resigns
The incumbent UP-BJP president, Swatantra Dev Singh, has recently completed his three-year tenure. Additionally, he has been inducted as the Jal Shakti Minister under Yogi 2.0. Following this, a section of BJP leaders have claimed that he has sent his resignation to the national party president JP Nadda. However, Singh will continue to stay at the post till a successor is appointed.
A prominent OBC leader from the Bundelkhand region, Singh was lately in the news when his junior minister Dinesh Khatik gave his resignation letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. In the letter, he allegedly claimed corruption in his ministry and that he had been getting ignored by the officials due to his Dalit identity.
It was later claimed by BJP sources that Khatik was demanding a “larger role” in the party-led government. This led to a lack of coordination between Khatik and Singh, which caused Dinesh Khatik’s resignation. However, it was withdrawn later.
With this, it is also imperative to note that the UP-BJP unit is now striving for a revival in its caste equation of elections. It was evident with Keshav Prasad Maurya’s appointment as the party’s state unit chief in 2016.
Ahead of this, a BJP leader opined on the entire structure of the UP-BJP unit. The leader said that CM Yogi is a Kshatriya from eastern UP, and a deputy CM Keshav Maurya is a popular OBC leader. Apart from this, another deputy CM Brajesh Pathak is a Brahmin leader from the Awadh region of central UP. In order to attain the support of upper caste voters, “the party is most likely to pick a Brahmin party chief. Party is most likely to pick a Brahmin face from western UP, Bundelkhand or Braj region as the next state president for the sake of regional balance.”
Swatantra Dev Singh under the Yogi administration
Dev was appointed as the UP-BJP chief in 2019 after Mahendra Nath Pandey was re-elected to the Lok Sabha. After the completion of Pandey’s tenure, Singh was re-elected as the state party chief for three-year tenure in the year 2020.
Considering the trend of appointments, some UP-BJP members claim that provably an upper caste party leader will be appointed as the new state president in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, keeping in mind the BJP’s continuous support of the backward and Dalit community, names from these set-ups are also making rounds.
On the other hand, the BJP central leadership has often appointed a Brahmin leader as the party chief in light of the Lok Sabha elections. During the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Keshari Tripathi was the UP-BJP president. While in the 2009 general elections, it appointed Ramapati Ram Tripathi as the state party chief. Ahead of the 2014 polls, Laxmikant Bajpai was appointed to this position. And later in the 2019 parliamentary elections, it appointed Mahendra Nath Pandey as the state chief.
In light of this Brahmanical legacy, it will be perennial to know who will be the one appointed as Singh’s replacement as the new state party chief. Swatantra Dev Singh secured a long sway of achievements during his serving in the UP-BJP unit. It will be imperative whether the new president can maintain the legacy of Singh’s accomplishments. The close-edged competition between the nominees will be significant ahead of the 2024 general elections.
The party is ahead to fill the vacant seat with probably these 5 popular names in consideration.
Dinesh Sharma
He was the deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 2017 to 2022. He has also been the mayor of Lucknow. In past just like many other politicians, Dinesh began his political career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was later named the state president of BJP’s Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
Under Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Cabinet, Dinesh was allocated the responsibility of some really crucial departments which included ministries like the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Science and Technology, Electronics, and Information Technology.
Apart from this, he was also the Leader of the House in Uttar Pradesh. Currently he doesn’t hold any political responsibility or any organizational duty. So, he can be the probable candidate to secure the UP-BJP presidency seat.
Subrat Pathak
Since the 2019 general elections, as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Pathak has been the MP from the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency. Pathak has also been the general secretary of the BJP. In the 2019 elections, Subrat Pathak defeated Dimple Yadav, wife of SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav. In addition to his political career, he was able to secure an impressive organizational experience as well.
Because of his massive defeat to the opposition, he gradually secured a respectable position in the BJP setup. In 2020, Pathak was appointed as the new executive of the UP-BJP unit. Further, with his incessant growth in the party, he was promoted to the state general secretary of Uttar Pradesh BJP.
Therefore, in such a scenario, it won’t be a surprise if his name gets chosen as the state party’s new president, considering his experience and his belonging to the brahminical sect.
B L Verma
He is the current minister of state in the Ministry of Development of the North-eastern region, in addition to the Minister of State in the Ministry of Co-operation. Verma is also considered a close aide of former CM Kalyan Singh.
He hails from OBC and Lodhi community by caste and it is believed that if BJP makes up its mind to make OBC state president, then BL Verma’s name will be stamped. Therefore, his name carries a massive probability of selection for the UP-BJP president seat.
Satish Kumar Gautam
From carrying out a milk business to making himself a popular face in politics, Satish has named a huge ratio of achievements in his political career. He won the 2018 general elections from the Aligarh Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh. In 2014, he was a member of the Consultative Committee under the Ministry of Railways, and a member of the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers, as well.
Apart from being a Brahmin in political mathematics, Satish Gautam has been blessed with the support of Kalyan Singh’s family and Sangh’s background. In such a situation, the selection of Satish Gautam can also be done as the state BJP president.
Braj Bahadur
He is a resident of Lutsan Sasni village of Kasganj district. Being a volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Kasganjm, in the year 1980 to 2022, he was on many undertakings, projects, and responsibilities of the organization.
In the year 2020, he was made the state BJP vice-president. Brij Bahadur Upadhyay, a Brahmin and organizationally mature leader, can also be made Uttar Pradesh BJP president with a close association with the Sangh and having a Brahmin equation.
To conclude, anyone from the aforementioned names can be appointed as the next Uttar Pradesh BJP President. There is a high probability of an upper caste individual holding the resposibility, considering the consecutive appointment of a Brahmin state unit leader.
Though, there are some Dalit candidates in the race for the UP-BJP presidency. However, it is likely that the party will appoint a Brahmin leader, in order to gain upper caste votes as well, especially in light of the upcoming 2024 elections.
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