UP BJP Rolls Out Red Carpet for New Chief with Massive Convoy and Flower Showers
The Uttar Pradesh BJP has organized grand welcome events for its newly appointed state president, Pankaj Chaudhary, during his first statewide tour. These events feature unprecedented scale, including a convoy of about 12,000 vehicles and flower showers using JCBs.
Unprecedented Scale of Welcome Events
On January 12, Pankaj Chaudhary traveled from Lucknow to Ayodhya for a meeting with party leaders and workers from the Awadh region. During this 130-kilometer journey on a national highway, BJP members welcomed him at 55 different points. The final leg of his trip saw approximately 12,000 vehicles joining his cavalcade, making the journey take nearly 10 hours.
Earlier in January, during Chaudhary's visit to Gorakhpur, his home turf, party workers welcomed him at nearly 50 places as he moved from the airport to the party office, visited the Gorakhnath temple, and reached his home. Similar grand welcomes occurred in the Kashi, Braj, and Paschim regions of Uttar Pradesh.
In the Awadh and Paschim regions, BJP activists used JCBs to shower flowers on Chaudhary in addition to traditional garlanding. This marked part of his first tour across UP after taking charge as state party chief on December 14.
Reasons Behind the Grand Welcomes
Some UP BJP insiders note that while former state party chiefs also received big welcomes, the scale for Chaudhary is unprecedented. They cite several reasons for these elaborate programs.
Chaudhary is a seven-term MP from Maharajganj and serves as Union Minister of State for Finance. However, his involvement in political affairs outside his constituency has been limited. He has never held any organizational post in the UP BJP before this appointment.
Party workers outside Maharajganj and neighboring Gorakhpur are not very familiar with him. These welcome meetings provide an opportunity for workers to interact with the new president. The interactions help Chaudhary in forming his new state team and rejigging regional and district party committees.
During his visits, Chaudhary held meetings with regional party office-bearers, organizational functionaries down to the mandal level, and local elected representatives. He appealed to them to gear up for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Organizational Context and Caste Dynamics
Former UP BJP presidents like Bhupendra Chaudhary, Swatantra Dev Singh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Laxmikant Bajpai, and Surya Pratap Shahi had long organizational experience. They worked in different party roles before taking charge of the state unit, so party workers were familiar with them.
The situation differs for Pankaj Chaudhary. Welcome ceremonies are organized on his first visit to regional headquarters to address this gap. The caste factor also plays a role, with Chaudhary belonging to the Kurmi group, an OBC community.
Leaders from various communities rolling out the red carpet for Chaudhary could help counter the Samajwadi Party's PDA push in the state. OBC and Dalit politics dominate UP's political landscape. Despite having Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP has relied on allies like Apna Dal, SBSP, Nishad Party, and RLD for OBC votes in different regions.
Timing and Electoral Pressures
Another BJP leader points out that several state party presidents were appointed in the past when no big election was imminent. They usually had enough time to travel across the state and meet party leaders and workers.
Pankaj Chaudhary took charge during a busy period. The Election Commission's SIR of electoral rolls is ongoing in the state. Legislative Council polls are approaching, panchayat elections are slated for later this year, and Assembly elections are just 13 months away.
The BJP has been ruling UP for almost 11 years. New people have joined the party and seek organizational responsibilities and tickets in coming elections. These aspirants use welcome functions for the new party chief to display their strength, enhancing the scale of events.
Official Response and Tradition
UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi states that welcoming new state presidents is a tradition in the BJP. Grand-scale programs have been organized for them in the past too. This time, it looks grander because the BJP's strength has increased, and the party has expanded organizationally.
Chaudhary kicked off his statewide tour on December 27 by visiting Mathura and Agra districts of the Braj region. The next day, he traveled from Ghaziabad to Meerut for a meeting of the party's western UP region. The BJP has six regional units in UP, with only the Kanpur region left for Chaudhary's visit now.
