New Delhi: Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, in the early months of 2027, and all political parties have begun their preparations. The BJP, the country’s largest party in terms of its cadre, has also started strengthening its organisational structure. On Tuesday, the BJP released the list of its state in-charges and co-in-charges.
Before this, the BJP had released the list for its core committee, which included 65 leaders. Now, the appointment of the state in-charge for Uttar Pradesh is garnering the most attention. Vinod Tawde has been appointed as the in-charge for the state, while Tarun Chugh has been handed the reins of Gujarat.
Satish Poonia will be seen handling responsibilities in Punjab, and Jagdish Ishwarbhai Patel has been appointed as the co-in-charge for UP. Only time will tell how much these leaders manage to strengthen the party at the grassroots level ahead of the UP elections.
Who is Vinod Tawde?
Uttar Pradesh is the country’s most populous state. With assembly elections due in six months, the appointment of the state in-charge is naturally a subject of significant discussion. Vinod Tawde, a native of Mumbai, will serve as the in-charge for UP. Born on July 20, 1963, he has been active in politics for nearly four decades.
He began his political journey with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and worked alongside Pramod Mahajan and Nitin Gadkari. After working with the ABVP, he rose to the position of General Secretary within just eight years. He joined the BJP in 1999 and assumed the role of State General Secretary within a year.
Held Key Positions within the BJP
Vinod Tawde, the newly appointed in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, has held significant positions within the BJP. He has worked hard to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. Notably, he served as the Mumbai BJP President in 1999.
In 2008, he entered the Upper House of the Maharashtra legislature. In 2011, he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council. He was elected as an MLA from Borivali in 2014 and held the portfolio of Education Minister in the state government. He further strengthened the party by serving as a BJP National Secretary in 2020 and as a BJP General Secretary in 2021.
Credited with bringing Nitish into the NDA
According to reports, Vinod Tawde is also credited with bringing Nitish Kumar into the NDA fold. He did not express any resentment even after being denied an assembly election ticket in 2019. Disregarding internal factionalism, he earned the trust of the BJP’s top leadership. Meanwhile, National General Secretary Nitin Naveen announced a 65-member core team on Monday; this move marks Smriti Irani’s comeback to active politics.
