With Yogi 2.0 firmly in saddle, BJP begins its search for UP state chief

New Delhi, April 3 After Swatantra Dev Singh was made a minister in Yogi Adityanath's cabinet, the party has been looking for a new Uttar Pradesh BJP chief.

A veteran BJP leader told that the party has been focusing more on western Uttar Pradesh, including the Braj region in western north for a new chief.

As per sources, the party high command is considering several names for the post of state president from among the MLAs, MPs and Legislative Council members.

When asked for the reason for dropping former Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma and former cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma from the Yogi cabinet, sources said that the party wants to give equal opportunities to all the leaders.

"They have long experiences and if not the government, the party will surely utilise their full potential," he said.

Apart from these, Lok Sabha MP Subrata Pathak, who gave a jolt to the Samajwadi Party's stronghold in Kannauj, and Lok Sabha MP from Basti Harish Dwivedi, are also being considered in the race for the state president post. However, among all these leaders, MLA Shrikant Sharma, is considered to be the frontrunner as he also hails from the Braj region.

During the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Keshari Nath Tripathi was the President of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, while during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Ramapati Ram Tripathi was in command of the party.

During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party's big Brahmin leader Laxmikant Vajpayee, from Meerut, was the party president while during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mahendra Nath Pandey was the face of the party.

According to another veteran BJP leader, judging by its history of state presidents, the party is likely to elect a Brahmin as its state unit chief this time as well.

Eyeing another saffron surge for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party will elect a strong face who can prove to be helpful in achieving its electoral goals in Uttar Pradesh, which currently has 80 Lok Sabha seats, the highest in the country.

In view of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is also preparing for major changes in Uttar Pradesh. While 22 ministers have been phased out, many important leaders such as Swatantra Dev Singh, state vice-president Dayashankar Singh and Arvind Sharma, state's powerful general secretary J.P.S. Rathod and Narendra Kashyap have been made ministers under Yogi Adityanath's leadership.

State general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal is also preparing a report regarding this and only after receiving feedback from different levels of the party, the high command will give a nod to reshuffle the party organisation, including the state president.