After a long wait, the ruling BJP has announced the formal process of organisational election to elect Uttar Pradesh’s new party president.
The name of the new president would be revealed on December 14. It could be disclosed on December 13 also, if only one candidate files a nomination.
Senior party leader and former Union Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey stated that nominations for the post of state president will be filed on December 13. The nomination process will be held from 1 pm to 2 pm at the BJP state headquarters in Lucknow.
According to Pandey, nomination papers will be accepted in the presence of Central Election Observer Vinod Tawde. Central Election Officer Piyush Goyal will complete the election process on December 14. The formal announcement of the state president’s election will also be made on the same day.
Though there are several names discussed for the state BJP president, a leader from the OBC, particularly of the Kurmi community, could be the ultimate choice. The names of Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhury, UP ministers Swantra Deo Singh and Dharampal Singh, and former Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti are in circulation for the post.
The long-running president selection process within the BJP has now reached a decisive stage, and the party leadership is finalising the name of the new president with an eye on the 2027 assembly elections.
As per the constitutional process for electing the BJP State President, the members of the Provincial Council are selected first. One member is elected from each of the 403 assembly constituencies. However, these are elected only from those constituencies where the District Presidents have already been declared. The BJP has divided the state into 98 districts.
For the State President election, only more than 50 per cent of the District Presidents are required to be selected, whereas currently 86 per cent of the District Presidents have been named. Similarly, elections have been completed in more than 1600 out of 1918 Mandals.
The proposers for the nomination of the State President can be Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, both Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, and key leaders of the organisation.