Ex-deputy Chief Minister among six names shortlisted for UP BJP chief’s post
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Ex-deputy chief minister among six names shortlisted for UP BJP chief’s post
The next leader of the Republican Party of India is expected to be announced in the next few days. The new leader will be chosen from a list of candidates submitted by the party’s national executive committee. The winner will be announced at a press conference to be held at the end of the month. The current leader is Ravi Agrawal, who has been with the party for more than 20 years. He is the son of a former member of the party, who died in a car crash in 1998. The next leader is likely to be selected from the list of potential candidates, which includes two women and two men.
India’s most populous state is set to go to the polls in early 2027 and the choice of the state unit chief is considered among the key decisions in front of the BJP, which will look to reverse its Lok Sabha setback in the state and secure a third consecutive term in Lucknow.
The BJP, which has already picked state chiefs in over 25 of 37 organisational units, is also gearing up to name its next national president.
The new state chief will replace Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, a Jat leader from western Uttar Pradesh, said the BJP leader.
The names suggested include former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma and former Basti MP Harish Dwivedi (both Brahmins), sitting UP minister Dharampal Singh and sitting Union minister of state BL Verma (both OBCs), and former Union minister Ram Shankar Katheria and sitting MLC Vidya Sagar Sonkar (both Dalits).
“On our part, we have suggested to the central leadership suitable names that can be considered for the post of UP BJP chief and the leadership is actively evaluating them. A decision is likely within the next two weeks, possibly earlier,” said the leader.
Sharma, a Brahmin leader known for his clean image and academic credentials, enjoys the confidence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the top leadership.
Dwivedi, also a Brahmin, brings youth and parliamentary experience, having served as an MP from Basti and a national secretary in the party.
Both Dharmpal Singh and BL Verma are from the influential Lodh community. Singh, a senior minister in the UP cabinet, has decades of legislative and ministerial experience.
Verma, currently Union minister of state, is seen as a disciplined and low-profile organiser with deep RSS links. He enjoys trust within the organisation.
Katheria, a former Union minister and ex-chairman of the National Scheduled Caste Commission, is known for his aggressive articulation of Hindutva and Dalit identity.
Sonkar, an MLC, is a low-key but loyal party worker with influence in eastern UP.
UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary said, “We have apprised the high command of our views. Now, it is for the central leadership to declare the name of the new president for the state and this, we hope will happen very soon.”