Pankaj Chaudhary Named New UP BJP President
Union Finance MoS takes charge as party eyes 2027 Assembly polls
- Pankaj Chaudhary appointed BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit president
- Announcement made by Union Minister Piyush Goyal
- Chaudhary becomes the 17th state BJP chief
- Party leadership flags 2027 Assembly election as next major challenge
GG News Bureau
Lucknow, 14th Dec: Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was on Sunday named the new president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Uttar Pradesh unit, with Union Minister Piyush Goyal formally announcing the decision.
The announcement was made in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak. Outgoing state BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary handed over the party flag to his successor, while Goyal presented Pankaj Chaudhary with the certificate of appointment.
Pankaj Chaudhary had filed his nomination on Saturday and was the sole candidate in the fray. He submitted his papers to former Union minister and BJP state election officer Mahendra Nath Pandey in the presence of central election observer Vinod Tawde. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his deputies and Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh were present during the nomination process.
Addressing the Sangathan Parv programme, Piyush Goyal described the BJP as the world’s largest political organisation and said its disciplined and democratic functioning continues to draw global attention. He said organisational exercises were conducted across 1.62 lakh booths, reflecting the party’s strength built on the vision of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and guided today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president JP Nadda.
Goyal also announced the names of 120 newly appointed members of the BJP National Council from Uttar Pradesh, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi represents Varanasi, while Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath represents Gorakhpur. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh represents Lucknow, Maurya Prayagraj and Pathak Unnao. Other members include Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary (Sambhal), Smriti Irani (Sultanpur), Mahendra Nath Pandey (Varanasi), Surya Pratap Shahi (Salempur), Swatantra Dev Singh (Banda) and Ramapati Ram Tripathi (Gorakhpur).
Former Union minister Mahendra Nath Pandey said Pankaj Chaudhary would be the 17th president of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit.
A seven-time Lok Sabha MP from Maharajganj, Pankaj Chaudhary belongs to the Kurmi community, categorised under Other Backward Classes (OBC). He is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election would be the party’s next major challenge and expressed confidence that the BJP would secure an overwhelming victory under Chaudhary’s leadership. Cabinet Minister Dara Singh Chauhan and MSME Minister Rakesh Sachan also welcomed the appointment, while BJP leader Dinesh Pratap Singh said Chaudhary was fully capable of providing strong leadership to the organisation.
