BJP Emphasises Regional Balance, Inclusivity In New Uttar Pradesh Unit's Team; Names 13 OBC, 8 SC Leaders

Just a day after the BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of "insulting" OBCs through a remark in 2019 that led to the Congress leader's disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP after conviction in a defamation case, the J P Nadda-led party revamped its Uttar Pradesh unit on Saturday (25 March).

The BJP included 13 OBC leaders in its Uttar Pradesh unit of 45 state office-bearers.

UP BJP chief, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, has included eight SC leaders in his new team.

Chaudhary, a Jat (OBC) leader from western UP, was appointed the state BJP chief in August 2022.

New UP BJP office-bearers consist of nine Brahmins, seven Thakurs, and seven leaders from other upper castes, such as Vaishya, Bhumihar, and Khatri.

Chaudhary kept 32 members and added nine new ones to the state BJP team, promoting four existing members to senior positions.

Thirteen OBC leaders -- hailing from backward sub-castes such as Gujjar, Jat, Saini, Kurmi, Maurya, Yadav, Lodhi, Lonia and Nishad -- represent their respective communities which are widely distributed across various regions in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The western region is home to Gujjar, Jat and Saini communities, while Kurmis, Lonias, and Nishads mainly reside in central and eastern UP, and Lodhis in Bundelkhand region, Aligarh and Bulandshahr districts.

The ruling party in Uttar Pradesh has made efforts to maintain a regional balance in its list of state office-bearers. It has selected 13 functionaries from western UP, 12 from eastern UP, and 10 from central UP. Lucknow and Kanpur have the highest number of functionaries, while Agra and Varanasi have three each.

A BJP leader was quoted by Indian Express as saying that by including OBCs and SCs in the UP team, the party is sending a message that it wants to "strengthen support of these castes" before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Around seven months after , the party formed its UP team

The Uttar Pradesh BJP has announced its new team seven months after Chaudhary took over as chief of the BJP.

The new UP BJP team has 18 vice-presidents, seven general secretaries, and 16 secretaries. The team also includes a treasurer, a co-treasurer, a party headquarters in-charge, and an in-charge of the party's cells and departments.

Out of the 18 vice-presidents, five are OBC leaders, and three general secretaries are from the same community. The new team has nine new faces, including three Thakurs, one Brahmin, two from other upper castes, two OBCs, and one Dalit.

Furthermore, 11 women leaders are also included in the list.

BJP has also replaced all six regional unit presidents in the state and appointed new ones, including three from the OBC communities.

According to UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi, the party's new team is balanced and inclusive as it has representatives from all castes and sections of society.