With the BJP gearing up to elect its state unit chiefs, speculation is rife within the Uttar Pradesh BJP regarding the next UP BJP chief's appointment. The party is internally debating whether to proceed before or after the election of the BJP national president, in view of likely organizational changes and a possible cabinet reshuffle in the state.
The election of UP state party chief could be deferred because along with changes in the organisation the Yogi cabinet too could be reshuffled. Since the two processes are interlinked and might need some brainstorming, the state unit chief election may take time.
Meanwhile, there is still time to elect the national president since the monsoon session of Parliament will begin after two weeks - the time frame set by the party to pick its national head.
BJP has announced state presidents in 9 states. These include Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar which are adjacent to UP, but politically, BJP is still engaged in the exercise of finding its next state president in the country's largest state Uttar Pradesh. The term of state president Bhupendra Chaudhary has already ended, but his replacement is still awaited.
Still, if the party is not able to decide the name of its chief in Uttar Pradesh, then there are some reasons for this. The first reason is that brainstorming is going on to strike a social equation.
Search for a leader who can coordinate with the govt
Apart from this, there is also a search for a leader who can coordinate with the government led by CM Yogi Adityanath as well as the central government. A balanced leader is needed, and brainstorming is ongoing to find this person. Currently, many names are being discussed, through which the BJP hopes to create the possibility of soft polarization.
Dharampal Singh Lodhi's name in discussion
One of the names in discussion for the state president is that of Dharampal Singh Lodhi. He comes from the Lodhi community and as part of efforts to bring together the non-Yadav OBC community, the BJP has been promoting this community for a long time. Late Kalyan Singh was counted among the big leaders of the Lodhi community.
Dharampal Singh Lodhi is a leader with a clean image, but there is a discussion in political circles that promoting him may cause trouble to Rajveer Singh. He is Kalyan Singh's son and has also been a claimant to his political legacy.