BJP president J.P. Nadda is expected to be replaced soon after the Delhi Assembly elections that are due in February 2025.
The buzz in the party is that the BJP could consider an OBC community candidate to succeed Nadda, signalling a strategic shift at regaining ground among key voter demographics. At the forefront of the race among OBC leaders is Keshav Prasad Maurya, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who is also seen as a rival to the state’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. A section of party leaders feels that Maurya’s elevation to the national stage may strengthen the BJP’s hold among the weaker communities in UP where elections are due in 2026.
Underscoring the importance of Uttar Pradesh to the party’s fortunes, a senior party leader said: “If UP goes, we go.” By saying this, he highlighted the BJP’s urgency to address and stem the erosion of its OBC and Dalit vote banks, which has been identified as one of the key factors behind the party’s electoral setback during the Lok Sabha polls. The senior party leader said: “The anticipated change at the top could be a critical step in the party's efforts to consolidate and rejuvenate its base in the run-up to future elections.
” Following the setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s central leadership subtly entertained the idea of replacing Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister. In response, factions within the party launched a counter-offensive, accusing the leadership in New Delhi of “interfer.
