Lucknow,

17 June (HS): The Uttar Pradesh unit president of the BJP is anticipated to be

named early next week, after a protracted wait.

The process of selecting the next president began in October last year

and was scheduled to be completed by January.

However, a variety of pull factors and political concerns resulted in

one after another postponement.

Union

Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Lucknow on Sunday, followed by a visit from

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to his Delhi house last week, has sealed the

incoming president's destiny. Shah was

in Lucknow to present employment letters to freshly hired officers, but other issues,

according to sources, have also been settled.

According

to reports, when Adityanath visited Shah at his New Delhi home last week to

invite the Home Minister to Lucknow, the matter was finalized. The focus now is on who will be the party's

new leader in the critical 2027 Assembly election. Shah's opening remarks, in which he referred

to Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya as my friend, reignited rumour

mills that it was Maurya. Maurya is

popular among party cadres since he is the state BJP's most famous OBC face. He

also has seniority, having previously served as state president in 2017 when

the BJP reclaimed UP after a 15-year-old exile, and since then as Deputy Chief

Minister of Uttar Pradesh for two consecutive terms.

The

party had been leaning towards electing an OBC or Dalit as president, since

both populations were allegedly aligning with the opposition Samajwadi Party

and Congress in the 2024 parliamemtary elections. The BJP saw its numbers

decrease, while the SP and Congress surprised with outstanding results. According

to party sources, given the Samajwadi Party's increased political activity and

the Modi government's announcement of a caste census, an OBC might be the

favored alternative. OBC politicians' names include Union Ministers B.L. Verma

and Pankaj Chowdhary (both from the significant Kurmi caste) and State Animal

Husbandry Minister Dharampal Singh (Lodh Rajput). Minister Baby Rani Maurya,

Asim Arun, former Union Minister Ram Shankar Katheria, and Vidya Sagar Sonkar

are among the Dalit figures considered front-runners.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi