Swatantra Dev picked as UP BJP president, Chandrakant Patil to head Maharashtra unit
The Modi Government and the BJP on Tuesday made a series of important appointments, rewarding leaders with experience and organisational skills.
The Government appointed sitting Rajya Sabha member Anusuiya Uikey and senior BJP leader Biswa Busan Harichandan as Governor of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, respectively.
On the other hand, the BJP appointed Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil and party MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha as president of Maharashtra and Mumbai city units, respectively. The party also named Uttar Pradesh State Transport Minister Swatantra Dev Singh as party’s State president replacing Mahendra Nath Pandey, who was inducted into the Union Cabinet. The announcement comes a day after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The post of Chhattisgarh Governor was under the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel since August after the demise of Balram Das Tandon.
Hailing from Chhindwara, 62-year old Uikey, whose Rajya Sabha term was to end in 2022, has taken special interest in the delivery of justice to women, specially tribal women and solution of their problems.
She has also worked for awareness of rights of tribal women leading to their empowerment, her bio-data on the Rajya Sabha website says.
In his early 80s, Harichandan will be the 23rd Governor of Andhra Pradesh and will succeed ESL Narasimhan, who had held the gubernatorial post in various States for last 13 years which includes 10 years in Andhra Pradesh.
He had joined Bharatiya Jana Sangha in 1971 and rose within the ranks till State general secretary. He was detained during Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency.
Ahead of the bypolls to 12 Assembly seats, the BJP on Tuesday appointed OBC leader and UP Cabinet Minister Swatantra Dev Singh as the new State party chief.
Belonging to the influential backward Kurmi caste, 55-year-old Singh replaces Mahendra Nath Pandey, a Brahmin leader, who moved to the Centre on his re-election to the Lok Sabha from Chandauli.
Sticking to its one man, one post policy, the BJP changed the UP party chief as Pandey was inducted into the Union Ministry. Since the upcoming Assembly bypolls will be the first major test for the BJP after the Lok Sabha win, Singh has his task cut out for him.
Chandrakant Patil’s appointment in Maharashtra comes as the BJP is gearing up to retain power in the western State in the Assembly polls due later this year. He is a Maratha, the largest caste in the State. He is credited for playing a key role in assuaging the community following its long protests demanding quota in Government jobs and educational institutions.
Chandrakant Patil hails from western Maharashtra, a prosperous region of the State which was once a strong turf of the Opposition. The BJP has made strong inroads in this sugar belt of the State. He holds the PWD Ministry in the State Government.