Pankaj Chaudhry set to be new UP BJP chief

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to get a new state president, with Union Minister of State for Finance and seven time Maharajganj MP Pankaj Chaudhary filing his nomination on Saturday at the party headquarters in Lucknow.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposed Chaudhary’s name, while both deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, along with several senior party leaders, were present during the nomination process. With no other contender in the fray so far, Chaudhary’s election as BJP state president is considered almost certain.

Chaudhary’s nomination has generated considerable political buzz, as the party appears to be preparing to hand him a key organisational responsibility at a crucial time. BJP leaders believe his strong influence among backward communities could help the party consolidate its traditional support base while countering the Samajwadi Party’s PDA narrative. His elevation is also being seen as a strategic move to strengthen the party’s social outreach ahead of future electoral battles.

Born in 1964 in Gorakhpur, Chaudhary completed his education up to graduation at Gorakhpur University. He began his political career in 1989 as a councillor in the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation and later served as deputy mayor. After the creation of Maharajganj district, he made it the centre of his political activity and steadily expanded his influence in local and district level politics.