The Bharatiya Janata Party is accelerating efforts to reach a final consensus on the name of its new state president in Uttar Pradesh. The party wants to complete this process before the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's All India Prant Pracharak meeting scheduled to begin on Friday.
Lucknow: Internal meetings and discussions are in full swing regarding the selection of the new state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh. The party is striving to announce the name of the new president before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed five-nation foreign trip and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's All India Prant Pracharak meeting, which starts on Friday. However, the path to finalizing the name does not seem easy.
In fact, the BJP's strategy in UP this time is to address the equations of the OBC (Other Backward Classes) and Dalit communities. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the party did not receive the expected support from these sections. This resulted in a weak performance for the party in many seats. That is why efforts are being made to appease these two major social groups at the time of the appointment of the new state president.
Confusion in Dalits and OBCs, a long list of names
According to sources, among the names being discussed from the Dalit community are former Union Minister Ramashankar Katheria and MP Vidyasagar Sonkar. Katheria has been active in the organization for a long time and has a b hold as a Dalit face. Vidyasagar Sonkar is also considered reliable in the organization.
On the other hand, the name of UP government minister Dharampal Singh, who comes from the Lodh community in the OBC category, is being prominently mentioned. In addition, Union Minister BL Verma, MP Baburam Nishad and former Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti are also in discussion. The party is seriously considering these names to give a positive message to this large section of society.
Eye on a Brahmin face as well
However, it is not necessary that the party will completely bet on the OBC or Dalit category. Considering the balance of the Brahmin community, deliberations are also underway. In this regard, the name of former MP and Assam in-charge Harish Dwivedi is in discussion. He is considered to have influence among Brahmin voters, and he is also considered a b candidate in terms of organizational ability.
It is reported that several rounds of talks have taken place between the Sangh and the party regarding the new state president, but a final consensus has not yet been reached. In fact, the Sangh wants the president to be a face who can maintain coordination between the organization and the government, as well as encourage the grassroots workers. This is the reason why all the names are being scrutinized very carefully.
Why is balance necessary in UP?
Uttar Pradesh is very important for the BJP because the path to power at the center passes through here. The party has suffered some loss of OBC and Dalit votes in the Lok Sabha elections, which has caused unease in the organization. This is why the party wants to win back these sections through the new state president, so that there is no risk in the upcoming assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Party sources believe that considering the schedule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign trip, the name of the president will be decided this week. After this, the strategy of the new state leadership will also be shared in the Sangh's All India Prant Pracharak meeting.
