Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary on Saturday (December 13) filed his nomination at the party office in Lucknow to become the next state president of Uttar Pradesh BJP. A large number of his supporters from Maharajganj district were already present at both Lucknow airport and BJP office and welcomed him with slogans.

Happiness in the family, mother expressed pride

Pankaj Chaudhary’s mother Ujjwal Chaudhary expressed her feelings regarding her son’s nomination. He said, “We can’t express how happy we are. We also feel very proud. He has reached such a big position from such a small post. We came to know about it from the news. When he was leaving Delhi today, he called and informed that he was going to Lucknow.”

BJP leader Pankaj Chaudhary reached Lucknow from Delhi on Saturday afternoon by Air India flight. As soon as he landed at the airport, his supporters welcomed him with flowers and garlands. After this he directly reached the state office of BJP, where he formally filed his nomination papers for the post of state president.

Senior leaders including CM Yogi became proponents

There was full support from the top leadership of the party regarding the nomination of Pankaj Chaudhary. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak became his proposers. The presence of these senior leaders indicated that Pankaj Chaudhary has strong support in the organization.

Support from Maharajganj to Lucknow

Enthusiasm was seen especially in Maharajganj district regarding the nomination of Pankaj Chaudhary. A large number of workers and supporters from the district reached Lucknow. The presence of supporters from the airport to the party office showed that they are getting strong support at the grassroots level too.

After the nomination of Pankaj Chaudhary, organizational activities in Uttar Pradesh BJP may further intensify. Pankaj Chaudhary, who has been active in the organization for a long time, is considered an experienced leader and expectations have increased among the workers regarding the possibility of him becoming the state president.

With the nomination of Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary for the post of BJP party president in Uttar Pradesh, the chances of him becoming the state president unopposed are strong. But the question is why the party is betting on the name of Pankaj Choudhary for the biggest post of UP BJP before the assembly elections.

In fact, with this step, BJP has not only added traditional votes but has also dealt a severe blow to SP’s PDA. If Pankaj Chaudhary becomes the state president, then the party has made a big move towards creating a bigger vote bank before the upcoming assembly elections. Kurmi community has a big vote bank in the state and its ally Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal also has a party in it.

This step of BJP has created a wave of happiness in Maharajganj and surrounding areas. The main reason for this is that if Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath becomes Chief Minister from Gorakhpur and Pankaj Chaudhary becomes State President, then the dominance of Purvanchal will be fully visible. Apart from this, Pankaj Chaudhary has a strong hold in the surrounding area. According to party sources, the effect of this strategy will be clearly visible in the upcoming assembly.

Always got a strong position in the party

Party workers believe that Pankaj Chaudhary’s position in the party has always been good. This is the reason why the party expressed confidence in him every time even during elections. Apart from their strong hold in the backward society, there was never any deadlock in the organization regarding them. Right from the beginning, he discharged the responsibilities given by the party very well and moved ahead. Even his opponents appreciate his personality. Even after being MP seven times, his closeness to the public did not diminish. Believes in direct communication with the workers.

Political experts say that Pankaj Chaudhary can prove to be very helpful in attracting traditional Kurmi votes from Apna Dal and other allies. From city to village, everyone is busy taking information from TV and social media and discussing it. Apart from his closeness to the Sangh, he is also considered dear to the party cadre leaders. He has also shown an example of his efficient strategy in the elections. He is considered a very strong leader of backward society in the state.

PM Modi reached home suddenly

According to local workers, this will be a matter of pride for Maharajganj. If the party hands over the responsibility to the Union Minister of State for Finance, it will benefit. He told that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had come to attend the centenary celebrations of Geeta Press, had increased the stature of Pankaj Choudhary by visiting Pankaj Chaudhary’s house without breaking the program and protocol. To reach his house, PM Modi had to walk through narrow streets. This attention of PM Modi increased Pankaj’s stature in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and his hold in the Kurmi community became stronger.

Started career as councilor

Pankaj Chaudhary, the younger son of Gorakhpur industrialist Bhagwati Chaudhary and former District Panchayat President Ujjwal Chaudhary, started his political journey in 1989 as a councilor of Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation. Born on 15 November 1964 in an industrialist family of Gorakhpur, Pankaj Chaudhary received his education from Gorakhpur University. Became a District Working Committee member of Bharatiya Janata Party in the year 1990 itself. In the year 1991, he was elected MP from Maharajganj parliamentary seat in the 10th Lok Sabha on the BJP symbol. Elected as MP in the 11th and 12th Lok Sabha in the year 1996, 1998.

Defeated SP’s Akhilesh in 1999, re-elected in 2004. In 2009, he was defeated by late Harsh Vardhan of Congress. Has been a member of Lok Sabha continuously since 2014. The party did not leave Pankaj Chaudhary’s hand. Chaudhary became MP for the fifth time this time. He became MP again in 2019. In the first expansion of the Modi cabinet, he got the post of Union Minister of State. Won the elections in 2024 and became a minister.

Enthusiasm among the workers of the district

Party workers from Maharajganj under the leadership of District President Sanjay Pandey have reached Lucknow and will welcome them as soon as the announcement is made. Seven voters will vote from Maharajganj district.