The Bharatiya Janata Party's central leadership has finalized its choice for the next president of its crucial Uttar Pradesh unit. A consensus on the selection was sought during a significant meeting in Lucknow on Monday, December 2, 2025, which included senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and other top state BJP leaders. The name of the appointee is expected to be officially announced before the end of this month.
High-Level Deliberations in Lucknow
The process unfolded through a series of high-stakes consultations. BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh and RSS sah sarkaryawah Arun Kumar first held discussions with Sangh functionaries from eastern UP and the Awadh region at a hotel on Monday afternoon. Following this, the leaders moved to the Chief Minister's residence for a broader meeting.
At this gathering, Santhosh and Kumar informed CM Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, outgoing state BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary, and state general secretary (organisation) Dharampal Singh about the central leadership's finalized pick for the state president's post.
Selection Process and Community Considerations
Insiders within the party revealed that the decision followed careful consideration. At a recent meeting in Delhi, the central leadership evaluated a shortlist of nine candidates for the prestigious position. The selection pool was meticulously crafted to include three candidates each from the Brahmin, Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Dalit communities, reflecting the party's focus on social engineering and representation in India's most populous state.
Broader Agenda: From Ram Mandir to Electoral Rolls
The meeting, termed the "Vichar Parivar Baithak", also served as a platform to deliberate on several other critical issues facing the state and the party. Key topics on the agenda included the completion of the main temple at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir complex and strategies to publicize this achievement to highlight the BJP government's fulfillment of a core commitment.
This discussion gains importance in light of the BJP's loss in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, which includes Ayodhya, just five months after the temple's public opening. Leaders agreed on the necessity to effectively communicate this milestone to the electorate.
Other significant matters reviewed were the Adityanath government's plan to establish temporary detention centres for alleged infiltrators and illegal immigrants in every district, and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh.
Sources indicated that both BJP and RSS leaders expressed dissatisfaction with reports that elected representatives, including ministers, MPs, and MLAs, were not actively supervising the SIR process. Furthermore, RSS functionaries provided feedback to BJP leaders on the performance of various UP ministries, based on coordination meetings held with ministers the previous month.
The finalization of the UP BJP president marks a pivotal organizational change for the party as it prepares for future electoral challenges in the state, with the top leadership ensuring alignment between the party and its ideological mentor, the RSS.
