UP BJP to get new president soon: Will the party bet on an old face or will the high command surprise with a new name?

The process of appointing a new state president for the Uttar Pradesh BJP has accelerated, and discussions within the party leadership regarding potential candidates have intensified. According to party sources here on Monday, keeping the upcoming 2027 assembly elections in mind, the BJP may once again bet on an “old face,” although the possibility of a new or unexpected name cannot be entirely ruled out.

A senior party official said that in the two previous assembly elections, Keshav Prasad Maurya (2017) and Swatantra Dev Singh (2022) were appointed as state presidents just before the elections. Both belong to the OBC community. On both occasions, the BJP achieved resounding success.

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According to the party official, “The need for OBC leadership in the party’s state unit became even more apparent when Keshav Prasad Maurya was made president in 2016. In the 2017 elections, the BJP won a record 312 seats, establishing Maurya as the party’s prominent OBC face. This led to non-Yadav OBCs, especially the Kurmi community, remaining strongly associated with the BJP for a long time.”

According to BJP sources, the continuous importance given to Maurya in recent times has fueled various speculations within the party. This includes giving him the responsibility of being the co-in-charge in the Bihar assembly elections and appointing him as an observer for the legislative party after the Bihar assembly elections.

Party sources say that the shift of several OBC sub-castes, especially the Kurmis, away from the BJP and towards the opposition INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was a major setback for the party. The BJP’s seat tally dropped to 33 from 62 in 2019.

A senior BJP leader, speaking to ‘The Statesman’, said that one of the reasons for this is the failure to strengthen OBC leadership on time and several shortcomings at the organisational level, leading to a decline in traditional OBC votes. According to party officials, the potential names include Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Animal Husbandry Minister Dharampal Singh, and Union Minister B L Verma, all of whom have established themselves as prominent OBC leaders.

There is also speculation that the party is not entirely ruling out an “upper-caste face” for the position. The names being mentioned in this regard include BJP MP Harish Dwivedi from Basti and former state president Dinesh Sharma.

A party leader said, “Given the changing political landscape and the preparations for 2027, bringing forward an experienced OBC leader is considered the most effective and safest option for the organisation at this time. Considering the central leadership’s style of functioning, the possibility of a ‘surprise’ appointment for the president’s post cannot be ruled out either.”

BJP state spokesperson Avnish Tyagi stated that the BJP high command will take the right decision at the right time.