BJP’s Uttar Pradesh overhaul: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh has made a significant overhaul in its district units, with changes in 71% of the district organizations. This is seen as a strategic move with the Lok Sabha elections looming next year.
Key Highlights:
West UP Focus: The BJP seems to be emphasizing on the west UP districts, where it experienced a decline in the 2019 elections. In 2014, the party secured all 14 seats, but in 2019, it managed only seven due to the joint opposition force of SP, BSP, and RLD.
Lok Sabha Losses: The party changed the leadership in 14 of the 15 district units that fall under the Lok Sabha seats it lost in 2019. The effort is to regain these lost seats in the upcoming elections.
Reason for Change: According to the BJP state president, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, the changes were made as many had completed their terms, some were now public representatives, while others were reassigned different roles within the party. The upcoming elections also played a role in these decisions.
High-Profile Districts: In districts like Varanasi (PM Modi’s constituency) and Gorakhpur (CM Yogi Adityanath’s home turf), the current leaders were retained. The strategy seems to be to maintain experienced leadership in these key areas.
Ayodhya Changes: In the significant Ayodhya district, Kamlesh Srivastava has been appointed, replacing Abhishek Mishra. However, Sanjeev Singh remains the president for Ayodhya Zila.
MPs on the Chopping Block: Apart from district-level changes, the BJP is also reportedly considering replacing almost a quarter of its MPs in Uttar Pradesh for the forthcoming elections. This might even include some Union Ministers, with changes expected predominantly in west and east UP.
The party’s massive reshuffling indicates its focus on improving its performance in the next Lok Sabha elections. The consolidation of leadership, especially in key districts, is seen as a proactive approach to counteract the united opposition and maintain its stronghold in the state.
