UP: BJP president is Pankaj Chaudhary, a Kurmi politician and seven-time MP
UP: Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced the appointment of Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) future president of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday at the party’s Lucknow headquarters. Bhupendra Chaudhary will be replaced by Chaudhary, a seven-time Lok Sabha MP.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya, and other officials were present when the announcement was made. “I am happy to announce that Pankaj Chaudhary has been unanimously elected as the BJP Uttar Pradesh president,” Goyal said.
Chaudhary submitted his nominations the day before. The only contender to do so was him. “The hardworking party workers welcomed me with open arms when I arrived at the Lucknow airport today. I want to sincerely thank all of the employees for their love and respect for me,” he wrote on X on Saturday.
BJP plans to run in the UP elections in 2027.
Originating from Gorakhpur, Chaudhary is a well-liked Kurmi leader in the state and a seven-time Member of Parliament. Kurmis, who make up a significant portion of the population in the central and eastern parts of the state, are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC). With Chaudhary’s appointment, the BJP hopes to disrupt the Samajwadi Party’s PDA formula, headed by Akhilesh Yadav, in front of the 2027 Assembly elections and the panchayat elections that are scheduled for following year.
In the 2022 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Kurmi had backed the Samajwadi Party. Only three Kurmi leaders—former MP Vinay Katiyar, former minister Om Prakash Singh, and Swatantra Dev Singh—have served as the BJP’s state chairman of Uttar Pradesh so far. Chaudhary is also said to be close to Rajnath Singh, the defense minister, Amit Shah, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Himangi Chaudhary, his daughter-in-law, had previously expressed gratitude to Adityanath and PM Modi for believing in Chaudhary and giving him the duty of heading the state’s party. “There is happiness across the family, including among the grandchildren,” she said.