U.P. BJP meet on March 15, focus on frontal units

Lucknow, March 11 The state executive meeting of the UP BJP will be held on March 15.

The meeting will be inaugurated by defence minister Rajnath Singh and will be presided over by UP BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also attend the meeting.

The state committee will deliberate on the political scenario in the state and developments in state politics to decide the party's strategy for the upcoming panchayat elections and then the assembly elections next year.

The BJP wants to feel the pulse of voters in the forthcoming panchayat elections, the results of which will give the state unit enough leads on its on its strengths and weaknesses.

"BJP has to reach out to people with the performance of the UP government in last four years. The party leadership will draft a roadmap using these inputs," a senior party functionary said.

The much-anticipated revamp of UP BJP's frontal units is also on the cards.

The spotlight on the frontal units comes almost eight months after the party affected a reshuffle in the organisational leadership, comprising state vice-presidents, general secretaries, secretaries and regional presidents.

The changes came after Swatantra Dev Singh was appointed as UP BJP chief in January last year.

The party wants the frontal units to play a more visible role in the upcoming elections and this will help the party groom a new set of organisational leadership that could potentially essay consolidation of targeted voters at the grassroots.

The party has seven frontal units including those for SC, ST and OBCs to work among backward communities and bring them closer to the party.

While the SC morcha is headed by Mohanlalganj MP Kaushal Kishore, the ST morcha is looked after by Ramdhani Gaur. The OBC wing is looked after by Sitapur MP Rajesh Verma.

Likewise, the party has dedicated morchas for minorities, farmers and women headed by Haider Abbas Chand, Chaudhary Raja Verma, and Darshana Singh, respectively.

BJP's youth wing, the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BYJM), is presided over by Subhash Yaduvansh. However, he was shifted as party secretary in the last reshuffle but has been asked to continue till BJYM gets a new president is appointed.

"Every state president appoints his own team of frontal organisational leaders. Therefore, a new team is expected, especially in the wake of the state executive meeting which will be attended by chiefs of morchas," a senior functionary said.

UP BJP spokesperson Harish Chandra Srivastava said, "The chiefs of morchas are considered office-bearers who attend important meetings to take forward party activities. These morchas are like lateral extensions of the party that work with various groups of the society and strengthen the hold of the party among these groups."

( With inputs from IANS )