The term of the current state president of Uttar Pradesh, Bhupendra Chaudhary, has ended and now the party will elect a new president in the new year. But a round of political discussions has begun about who will be the new president and from which sector he will come. Sources said the BJP will create history in Uttar Pradesh this time by appointing a president from the Dalit community. This is considered a major political move by the BJP in its attempt to win over 21% of Dalit voters. The BJP has given the reins of Uttar Pradesh state president to people from the OBC community in Uttar Pradesh like Omprakash Singh, Swatantra Dev Singh and Keshav Prasad Maurya, but so far no one belonging to the Dalit community has been able to hold the post this position.
For a long time, the BJP was considered the party of the upper caste communities, especially the Baniya community, but over time, it developed the art of connecting itself with the rest of society. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP reached over 300 with the help of non-Yadav OBC and non-Jatav SC vote banks. In 2022, the BJP also received support from Dalit beneficiaries and Dalit voters who were disillusioned with the BSP and made a comeback with 275 seats as BSP votes shifted to the BJP. But in the Lok Sabha elections, the opposition succeeded in denting the Dalit vote bank on the Janata Dal and on constitutional issues, while the BJP’s performance in the Janata Dal was disappointing.
BJP in mood for new experiment in Uttar Pradesh
Now, 21% of the votes of the Dalit community are closely associated with the BJP, which is in the mood for a new experiment in Uttar Pradesh. Among the most discussed names, the names of Vidya Sagar Sonkar and Ramashankar Katheria top the list. Senior political analyst Rajendra Kumar said the BJP has not named any Dalit as Uttar Pradesh president so far. What the BJP does this time may come as a surprise! But it is necessary that even if a person from the Dalit community becomes the President, he should at least understand the work of the organization.
The biggest problem with the current president is that he doesn’t understand what the organization does. Apart from that, his relationship with CM Yogi should be good and should not cause controversy. There is controversy over Rama Shankar Katheria and he is not even in the chief minister’s good books. Vidya Sagar is associated with the Sonkar organization and apart from being uncontroversial, he is also in the CM’s good books. You shouldn’t be surprised if his name is approved. Priyanka Rawat’s name is also being discussed, although her differences with the government may prove to be a roadblock for her. The draw may also be held in the name of a former BJP MP who is now in the BJP. To his advantage, he could also help craft strategies to convert the central bank’s core constituency.
Vidyasagar Sonkar’s name is most discussed
Vidyasagar Sonkar’s name is most discussed as the Dalit face of the BJP president. Vidyasagar Sonkar, a resident of Jaunpur, joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh during his student days and later became the booth president of the BJP. He is also the state president of the Scheduled Front. He comes from the Congress and was elected to the Congress in 1996 from the Sajidpur constituency. Thereafter, he contested Lok Sabha and Assembly elections but did not win.
In order to win over Dalits, the Modi government, which has continuously launched welfare programs, also valued Dalits in important positions. As a result, the Socialist Party of the Philippines won 17 of the 80 seats in the Lok Sabha of Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of 240 million. seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes, while the control of other parties is gradually loosening. National general secretary Vinod Tawde has been appointed as Uttar Pradesh observer in the organizational elections.
