Supporters holding BJP flag.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Lucknow: Members from the OBC community dominated the much awaited list of the district unit chiefs of Uttar Pradesh BJP, which was declared on Sunday.
The list contained names of presidents of 72 organisational districts, and the names of the chiefs of the remaining 28 organisational districts would be declared later.
The list has 25 members from OBC, six from SC, 36 from general category and five women.
A senior state party leader here said that the list of the district unit chiefs clearly showed the party's continued preference for OBC nominees.
"We have tried to accommodate members from all the communities. Adequate representation has been given to every section of the society," he added.
Of the newly appointed district unit chiefs, as many as 44 are new faces. Only 22 district chiefs have been repeated.
There was no Muslim face in the list.
The dominance of the OBC nominees in the list showed that the BJP was looking to blunt the PDP (pichda, dalit and Alpsankhyak) slogan of arch rival Samjwadi Party (SP).
SP's PDP formula had paid rich dividends in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the party managed to win 36 seats, while BJP could win only 33 seats. BJP's rivals have been accusing the saffron party of ignoring the OBC .
An interesting feature of the list was the selection of a woman leader Mamta Rajput as the district chief of Mainpuri, a stronghold of the SP.
Sources said that the saffron party was facing large scale dissension in the remaining districts which was causing delay.
Interestingly, the newly appointed district chiefs were informed about their selection through WhatsApp in an apparent bid to prevent protests.