Even though Swatantra Dev Singh has completed his three-year tenure as the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief, the ruling party has yet to decide on his successor. The party is said to be working on a strategy in view of the complex caste equation in state politics.
The decision about the next state president holds importance as the leader will spearhead the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Swatantr Dev Singh, the fifth state BJP chief to complete his three-year tenure, is also an influential Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader who holds a place in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. He is the Leader of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council as well.
He has been a minister since March 25, the day Yogi Adityanath 2.0 government was sworn in despite the BJP’s principle of ‘one-member, one-post’.
It has been a week since Singh completed his tenure and the BJP insiders say the process to choose the next party chief for UP has been put on the backburner as both the state and Central units are busy with a series of events in recent times — MLC elections, Lok Sabha bypolls, presidential election, canvassing for the vice-presidential poll, and the ongoing parliament session.
“The main reason is that the party is weighing its options of going with either a Brahmin or an OBC face, for which consultations have not been completed with UP leaders, including CM Yogi Adityanath. The Brahmin lobby wants a leader from amongst them as the state party president,” a BJP leader said.
Another senior party leader said feedback was taken from UP leaders informally a few months ago but no decision was made. The dilemma, the leader added, was also about “balancing the caste equation.”
“Since Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak is a Brahmin and the CM is also from the upper caste (Thakur), it is not necessary to appoint another Brahmin even though the community can’t be ignored,” a BJP functionary said.
A BJP leader, who didn’t wish to be named, said that apart from the caste factor, the party also had to keep in mind several other factors in mind, such as region, grip on organisational matters, and potential efficiency to run the party in such a huge state.
“Both the state elections (2017 and 2022) happened under the leadership of OBC presidents. Maurya’s retention as the deputy CM despite losing the election is a clear message that the party will not risk losing the OBC vote,” the BJP leader said.
Union ministers BL Verma and Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (OBCs), Kaushambi MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, MLC Laxman Acharya, and Etawah MP Ram Shankar Katheria (Dalits) are being touted as the contenders for the BJP state chief post.
One source said: “The senior leadership will consider various factors. They have to think about 2024 since the new president’s first assignment will be to maintain the BJP’s lead in the Lok Sabha. Only the prime minister and the home minister know when to appoint the BJP president in Uttar Pradesh.”