New state boss, UP role for PM Modi aide: Gujarat subplot in BJP rejig
In a recent BJP leadership reshuffle, Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh, 53, has been appointed as the party’s in-charge for Gujarat, replacing Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, 57, who had held the position for nearly a decade. Additionally, Jagdish Patel, 62, a newly appointed national secretary from Gujarat and a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been designated as the co-in-charge for Uttar Pradesh.
Patel’s appointment follows his pivotal role in Modi’s victory in Varanasi during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Bhupender Yadav’s tenure as Gujarat in-charge concluded amid the Patidar quota agitation, which threatened to alienate the state’s core vote bank. The BJP managed to retain power in the December state polls but with the narrowest margin since 1995, securing 99 seats out of 182.
The upcoming 2027 Gujarat Assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls will be Chugh’s key responsibilities, as well as Patel’s first major challenge in Uttar Pradesh following the party’s recent setbacks in the region.
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