'Reclaiming caste coalitions ...': New UP BJP chief likely to be party’s strategic answer to SP’s PDA gambit

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav (L) and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepares to appoint a new president for its Uttar Pradesh unit, the move is being viewed not just as routine organisational housekeeping but as a deeply strategic decision, crafted to counter the Samajwadi Party’s increasingly effective PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formula that played a pivotal role in BJP's reduced performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Sources within the saffron party suggest that the caste identity of the next UP BJP president will be carefully calibrated to regain political momentum, particularly among non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Dalits — vote banks that showed signs of drifting away during the general elections. The party’s tally had slipped dramatically from 62 in 2019 to just 33 seats in 2024 in the state considered the BJP's political nerve centre.

“The PDA formula struck the BJP where it hurts — its non-Yadav OBC and non-Jatav Dalit base. The appointment of a new state president is now not merely about organisation but about reclaiming caste coalitions,” said senior political analyst Rajendra Kumar. “This is a moment of political re-engineering, and the BJP knows that the symbolic weight of the UP BJP president can have deep electoral consequences.”

The BJP’s counter-formula, insiders say, may take the shape of its own version of PDA — a ‘P-D’ strategy (Pichhda-Dalit), projected through the leadership face it chooses.

While several names are under consideration, the most prominent among OBCs include Union Minister BL Verma, Animal Husbandry Minister Dharampal Singh, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Baburam Nishad, and MLC Ashok Kataria. In the Scheduled Caste category, former Union Minister Ram Shankar Katheria and MLC Vidyasagar Sonkar are key contenders. Among the Brahmins the contenders are Dinesh Sharma and Harish Dwivedi.

“There is no formal process where the state unit sends an official list. What happens is backchannel discussion, and the central leadership always has the final say,” said a senior BJP leader. “But one thing is clear — we need someone who can match or surpass Akhilesh Yadav’s PDA play.”

Historically, the BJP has used caste identity to its strategic advantage while appointing state unit heads. In 2016, Keshav Prasad Maurya, a prominent OBC leader, was brought in ahead of the 2017 assembly elections — a move that helped BJP break into non-Yadav backward communities. Similarly, in 2019, Swatantra Dev Singh, also an OBC, was chosen just before the 2022 elections. The current state president, Bhupendra Chaudhary, a Jat leader, was appointed in 2022 after Swatantra Dev joined the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. His term ended earlier this year.

“The BJP has always shown a sharp understanding of caste-based optics,” said Rajendra Kumar. “But this time, the challenge is formidable. Akhilesh Yadav has not just regrouped the backwards and Dalits — he has added a strong narrative of marginalisation and resurgence. The BJP needs more than caste arithmetic — it needs a political imagination rooted in ground-level connect.”

BJP state president and senior party leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak confirmed that the organisation is functioning smoothly in the interim. “The BJP is a cadre-based party, and our structure remains solid. The leadership will announce the next state president at the right time — someone who can take the 2025 panchayat elections and 2027 assembly battle head-on,” he said.

Political observers agree that this appointment will shape the BJP’s future in India’s most electorally influential state. The Lok Sabha drubbing has caused concern in the top echelons, and with 80 Lok Sabha and 403 Assembly seats, Uttar Pradesh is not a state the BJP can afford to misread.

“More than ever before, this is about narrative control,” said RN Bajpayee, another political analyst. “The BJP needs to send a message that it listens, adapts, and responds to the changing social undercurrents. A backward or Dalit face, with a clear record of grassroots leadership, could help it recast its appeal.”

The BJP has already named new state presidents in over 25 of its 37 organisational units across India. All eyes are now on Uttar Pradesh — where caste identity, political symbolism, and electoral strategy converge like nowhere else.