The party has retooled its U.P. setup with the 2027 assembly polls in mind. That means making Neeraj Singh, the son of Union minister Rajnath Singh, a state vice president and unseating the top six in the regions. The idea is to have a firmer grip on the ground and put forward a younger guard for what will be a no-holds-barred contest.
What you’re seeing is an effort to lock in a third straight term in Lucknow, by having a stronger hand in the regions and not letting decisions drag on, says the leadership. It also fits with the wider emphasis the party is putting on the state as it works out its game plan for the future.
Key power shifts in the UP BJP
Pankaj Chaudhary, the state president, has put out a list: 19 new vice presidents and eight general secretaries. You’ll also see 19 of the state’s ministers in these roles, which is meant to bring the government side and the organisation a bit closer together.
Neeraj Singh is the name to watch among the vice presidents, but he’s in good company with Suresh Rana, Archana Mishra and Pooja Pal. Then there’s the general secretary table, where you have a mix of old and new like Abhijat Mishra, Shankar Lodhi, Dilip Patel and Rajesh Chaudhary, with Sanjay Rai in the fold as well.
You add in Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan and Geeta Shakya from the eight general secretaries, and Upendra Rawat, and you have a much larger picture. The leaders will tell you it was done with some care to cover the different areas and communities.
Regional command fully refreshed
We’ve seen a change at the top of all six regions to make sure things run smoothly when it comes time to campaign. The new appointments span the east, west and centre to make sure we can deliver at the precinct level come election day.
The main ones are:
– Vinod Rai for Gorakhpur
– Avadhesh Dwivedi to run Awadh
– Ashok Chaurasia in Kashi
– Ramkishore Sahu in Kanpur
– Nawab Singh Nagar for the west
– Puran Lodhi for Braj
Youth push and organisational balance
There’s been a conscious move to put more young people in the frame. To keep the youth wing (BJYM) from getting too set in its ways, they’ve put a 35-year cap on the presidency. Rohit Mishra is the man for the job now.
If you ask those in the know, this is about the changing social makeup on the ground. The new crew is here to do more outreach without losing the base, especially with some stiffer opposition from other blocs.
How the list was put together
It didn’t happen overnight. There were a few rounds of talks with the CM, Yogi Adityanath, the big wigs in the state and the centre. On Wednesday, national general secretary Vinod Tawde and Pankay Chaudhary sat down for a half-hour or so to go over the names before calling it a day.
Sources in the party say they went through the profiles one by one, looking for someone with field experience and the right kind of regional standing. A formal word to the media on the changes should be coming in the next few days.
Communications and outreach
Manish Dixit is back for a fourth term as state media coordinator, so you can expect the same line. Dinesh Pratap Singh is the chief spokesperson and Himanshu Raj Pandit is on social media.
With the assembly vote coming up early next year, the BJP’s new order has a bit of both – the old hands and some new fire. The objective is to shore up the booth-to-block system and have that in place for 2027 and after.
