Union minister of state for Human Resource Development Mahendra Nath Pandey will replace Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya as the new BJP president of Uttar Pradesh.
Maurya is an MP from Phulpur and is likely to resign from his lok Sabha seat next week as the party has announced his candidature for the by-poll to one of the five seats of legislative Council.
A former student leader of Benares Hindu University (BHU) Pandey is expected to take up his new assignment next week before `Pitr Paksh’ starting September 7. This was confirmed by state BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak.
The appointment of Pandey is being seen as an attempt by the party to balance caste equations in the state. An upper caste Brahmin from Chandauli in eastern UP, Pandey could provide the countervailing pull to the BJP as the state government is being headed by Rajput leader Yogi Adityanath.
Besides, Pandey enjoys good rapport with Union Home minister Rajnath Singh, also a native of Chandauli.
Howver, Pandey’s nomination brings abount an element of regional imbalance within the state BJP as both the state chief and the CM are from eastern UP.
“The BJP may attempt to check this regional tilt in the next cabinet reshuffle at the Centre,” sources said.
The appointment is one of the biggest announcements to have come from the BJP for the politically most crucial state UP, which sends 80 MPs, ahead of the 2019 parliament elections. It would now be the responsibility of the new state chief to ensure that the party retains all seats won in 2014. The BJP had won 71 lok Sabha seats in 2014 and two were won by its ally Apna Dal.
Pandey won the lok Sabha poll from Chandauli by defeating nearest rival Anil Maurya of the BSP by nearly two lakh votes in 2014.
In June 1991 mid-term poll , Pandey was first elected to the UP Assembly riding the crest of `Ram wave’ following violent Kar Sewa at Ayodhya in October 1990.
In the subsequent BJP government headed by Kalyan Singh, Pandey was inducted as minister of state (independent charge) of Planning department. He was again elected to the Assembly in 1996 Assembly elections.