Lucknow: Three UP BJP members are said to be in the race for induction in the BJP’s national team which is expected to be constituted soon.They are a former UP minister from Thakur community, a former Brahmin MP, and an OBC functionary in the UP BJP organisation. While two of them are in-charge of other states, the third functionary is a key member of the team imparting training to the new BJP workers.The formation of the new national team is awaited since Nitin Nabin was elected as BJP national president three months ago. The party is expected to take a formal decision on the new team after the declaration of results of the Assembly elections in five states, including West Bengal, on May 4.BJP sources said the three UP functionaries have a good reputation before the party’s central leadership and are often entrusted with key tasks related to organisational work.At present, five UP BJP functionaries are part of the existing national team — Rekha Verma, Laxmikant Bajpai and Tariq Mansoor are vice-presidents, RMD Agarwal is national general secretary and Surendra Nagar national secretary. Castewise, two of them are OBCs, and one each is Brahmin, Vaishya, and Muslim.Sources said by elevating the leaders from three influential communities, the party plans to bolster its social coalition, signal inclusivity in the power structure, and prevent drift of any major caste bloc towards opposition parties.The induction would be significant since UP goes to polls early next year.Sources said the party is taking calibrated measures to strike the right caste and regional factors in the constitution of the national and the state teams, besides placing key functionaries in different boards and corporations across the state. This also comes amid speculations of reshuffle in the Yogi cabinet, which might be effected around the rejig of the state organisation.While senior UP BJP leaders refused to speak on the issue, party spokesperson Hero Bajpai said the party would decide after considering all the credentials of three functionaries. “Party functionaries are given responsibility on the basis of their performance,” he said.Sources said matters concerning UP BJP’s organisational structure were recently taken up at various forums, including the core committee comprising the CM, UP BJP chief, state general secretary (organisation), deputy CMs and senior RSS functionaries.The committee has already deliberated on various names in recent times. BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, too, had discussed it separately with the CM and the state functionaries during his visit to Lucknow recently.UP BJP chief Pankaj Chaudhary too is said to have discussed organisational reshuffle with the party’s senior leadership, including Union home minister Amit Shah and party national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh.
