Pankaj Chaudhary (third from left) filed his papers, and his name was proposed by 10 senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and both Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak. Credit: X/@mppchaudhary
Union Minister of State for Finance and seven-time Lok Sabha MP from Maharajganj Pankaj Chaudhary is set to be announced as the Uttar Pradesh unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mr. Chaudhary filed his nomination papers at the BJP party office in Lucknow on Saturday (December 12, 2025) in the presence of U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior leaders. He is expected to be declared as the State president on Sunday (December 14) as he was the only person to submit the nomination for the post.
Mr. Chaudhary filed his papers, and his name was proposed by 10 senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and both Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak.
“Participated in the nomination filing ceremony of Shri Pankaj Chaudhary ji for the post of Uttar Pradesh BJP president at the State BJP office in Lucknow,” wrote CM Mr. Adityanath on X.
Mr. Chaudhary, a seven-time MP, graduated from Gorakhpur University and started his political career at the local level when he served as a councillor of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation in 1989. In 1991, he was elected as the Lok Sabha MP for the first time from Maharajganj Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket.
He won the seat again in 1996, 1998, 2004,2014, 2019 and 2024 representing the party. He was appointed as Union Minister of State for Finance in the second PM Modi Cabinet.
Caste angle, OBC push
Mr. Chaudhary belongs to the Kurmi caste, coming under Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Among the numerically significant OBC voters constituting over 35% electorate in the State, Kurmis are the second largest group after Yadavs. Kurmis are roughly 4.7% of U.P. population according to the 1931 caste census, the last time caste centred count was done in the State.
Through Mr. Chaudhary, the BJP is eyeing to consolidate the Kurmi and larger OBC vote bank for the 2027 Assembly polls. The seven-time MP’s elevation comes at a time when the Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) has given important roles like national general secretary to its Kurmi leaders — Ramprasad Chaudhary and Lalji Verma. Mr. Chaudhary’s appointment holds significance as the BJP’s ally Apna Dal (S), led by Union Minister Anupriya Patel, is also a contender for the Kurmi vote bank.
The appointment of Mr. Chaudhary comes after extensive deliberations in Lucknow and Delhi with B.L. Santosh, BJP national general secretary (organisation) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) joint general secretary Arun Kumar holding discussion with senior party leaders in U.P. and New Delhi.
Published – December 13, 2025 07:40 pm IST
