No District Presidents, No State BJP Chief: UP’s Organisational Elections In Deadlock

Last Updated:March 14, 2025, 10:24 IST

At present, the organisational election process is only partially complete in around 70 districts, while the BJP has a total of 98 organisational districts in Uttar Pradesh

UP CM Yogi Adityanath, BJP President JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. (PTI Photo)

The BJP initially planned to complete its President election before 21 January, which required 50 per cent of the state organisational elections to be concluded. However, the party remains adamant that this 50 per cent must include key states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. While Bihar has managed to re-elect Dilip Jaiswal, the process in UP, MP, and West Bengal is far from complete. In fact, a source confirmed to News18 that, Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state, hasn’t even elected district presidents, a prerequisite for the state presidential election.

The district president elections have been challenging for the BJP from the outset, with many contenders vying for positions. The party is also carefully weighing caste equations to ensure broad representation and strengthen its social base ahead of the crucial 2027 assembly elections. At present, the organisational election process is only partially complete in around 70 districts, while the BJP has a total of 98 organisational districts in Uttar Pradesh.

During his recent trip to Delhi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met both outgoing party president JP Nadda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With Nadda, CM Yogi is believed to have discussed the replacement of Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary—the Jat face of the BJP, who has been steering the organisation in UP since 2022.

“A clear message has been conveyed from New Delhi that the final list of district presidents must be completed at the earliest, post-Holi," said a BJP source. The source further added, “It has now been decided that the list will not be announced from Lucknow but from the respective districts. This decision was taken after reports emerged of potential agitations by factions that stand to lose out."

Does this mean that by the weekend following Holi, all UP BJP district president names will be announced? “That’s what we have been instructed to do, and we are confident about it," said the BJP leader.

News18 has learnt that to prevent any rebellion, the BJP is considering sending digital certificates to the 98 district presidents via WhatsApp. How would that work? If approved, a PDF of the official certificate will be sent directly to the recipient’s mobile. Physical distribution could lead to public displays of strength and celebrations, which, in turn, might cause resentment and potential backlash—something the BJP is keen to avoid.

At present, the state is led by a chief minister from the Kshatriya community and a BJP state president from the Jat community. The most pressing question now is: who will succeed Jaiswal?

BJP leaders are divided into two broad camps — Brahmin and OBC or Dalit. If the party opts for a Brahmin president again, as it did with Mahendra Nath Pandey—something several prominent Brahmin leaders have already begun lobbying for—Shiv Pratap Shukla and Mahesh Sharma will be considered frontrunners.

Keshav Prasad Maurya remains a key OBC face for the party in Uttar Pradesh if the BJP goes for an OBC face. However, many within the BJP’s Delhi leadership are advocating for a Dalit state president in UP, believing it could help the lotus bloom again in 2027. If that happens, Lakshman Acharya, the state vice president, and Vidya Sagar Sonkar are considered strong contenders for the post.

News politics No District Presidents, No State BJP Chief: UP’s Organisational Elections In Deadlock