Notably, organisational elections at the lower levels have been completed in the state. On March 16, new district presidents were appointed in 70 of the 98 districts as per the party’s configuration. Since then, however, no step has been taken to elect a new state chief.Although deliberations on appointing a new UP BJP chief began in January, and National General Secretary BL Santosh had said a new state president would be announced by January 15, party workers had expected a final decision by then—or at least by January 30. Five months have passed, yet there’s still no development or indication from the party regarding the impending election.In the absence of concrete steps, speculation abounds over probable names for the post. OBC leaders like Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Animal Husbandry Minister Dharampal Singh, Rajya Sabha member Baburam Nishad, and MLC Ashok Kataria are in the race. From the Scheduled Castes category, former minister Ram Shankar Katheria and MLC Vidyasagar Sonkar are being discussed. A few Brahmin community names, former Basti MP Harish Dwivedi, Rajya Sabha member Dr. Dinesh Sharma, MLA Srikant Sharma, and Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay are also prominent in discussions.Political experts note that the BJP, known for its strategic planning, faces the crucial challenge of the upcoming panchayat elections.“The appointment of the state president will be made with that in mind. The party is busy understanding the mathematics of the panchayat polls,” says Prof. A.K. Mishra, a prominent political scientist.
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