Pankaj Chaudhary for UP BJP Chief: Why This Minister's Nomination Signals a Shift

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak were also present during the occasion. Speculation is rife that Chaudhary will bag the top state post.

The Uttar Pradesh BJP is set to wrap up its organisational election process this weekend, as the nominations for the post of state president are being filed on Saturday and results will be announced a day later, on Sunday.

The BJP is preparing to unveil its new Uttar Pradesh president on Sunday, bringing the internal election process to its conclusion.

Chaudhary is a seven-time MP from UP's Mahrajganj Assembly constituency and was appointed the Union Minister of State for Finance in the second Modi Cabinet.

Earlier, speaking to reporters in Delhi before his departure to Lucknow, Chaudhary said, "All MPs have been called to Lucknow. I am also going there today for the state president election and nomination process. The party will manage the process, and we, as party workers, will follow the responsibilities assigned by the party."

BJP spokesperson Hero Bajpai, speaking to IANS, described the organisational polls as a reflection of the party's internal democracy.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party is a cadre-based, highly democratic party, and its elections feel like a festival. Everyone feels that a new president will be appointed, under whose leadership we will expand our presence in the 2027 Assembly elections. I believe that moment is approaching, and millions of party workers are eagerly awaiting it," he said.

BJP leader Anand Dwivedi also underlined the party's election mechanism while speaking to IANS.

"In the BJP, elections are held through a democratic process. After that, nominations will be verified, and following the scrutiny process, the further steps of the election will take place," he said.

Ahead of the nomination filing, senior national and state-level party leaders held a meeting in Lucknow on Friday to finalise preparations for the organisational polls. The meeting was chaired by BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya confirmed that the new state president would be announced on Sunday.

Drawing a comparison with the Samajwadi Party, Maurya said the BJP remained "committed to a transparent process".

"The SP is limited to one family; their leaders make decisions on office-bearers in their dining room. However, the BJP is a democratic party -- the largest in the world -- and a proper election process is followed here. The SP has no future left. In frustration, they usually make unnecessary statements," the Deputy Chief Minister added.

- IANS