The BJP is expected to review its Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll debacle on Thursday when senior leaders from the state are scheduled to meet the party top brass. The BJP is also likely to announce a new chief for its state unit as the current chief Surya Pratap Shahi had tendered his resignation following the Assembly poll loss. The party on Wednesday elected senior leader and Kairana MLA Hukum Singh as the leader of its legislature party in the UP Assembly.
Names of national secretary Santosh Gangwar, state unit vice-president Lakshmi Kant Vajpayee, Lucknow mayor Dinesh Sharma and Ragvendra Singh are doing the rounds in the party to head its UP unit.
Sources disclosed supporters of senior leader Uma Bharti, who won the Charkari Assembly seat, are also lobbying for her to get the state unit chief post. A section of the state unit also wants senior leader Kalraj Mishra to be given the post.
Sources disclosed with an eye on the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP wants to reorganise its UP unit. With most of its senior leaders, who had contested the polls, losing their Assembly seats, the party wants to bring in more young leaders. Another issue that will be discussed during this meeting will be the growing factionalism.
The party had asked for a district-wise poll loss analysis, which will be discussed during this meeting at party chief Nitin Gadkari’s residence.
Sources said, factionalism, multiple hierarchy in the election management committee, senior leaders leading individual campaigns and induction of scam-tainted former UP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha are few of the reasons for the party’s poll debacle.
Other than senior leaders from UP, BJP parliamentary party chairman L.K. Advani, senior leader Rajnath Singh, general secretaries Narendra Singh Tomar and Thavar Chand Gehlot are also expected to attend the meeting.