UP BJP to replace 'unresponsive' party workers ahead of polls

Lucknow, Oct 30 (IANS) For the first time, the BJP in Uttar Pradesh plans a deeper organisational churning by replacing a host of "unresponsive" and "careless" functionaries in at least 200 divisions (mandals) across politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

Organisationally, the party has divided the state into 1,918 divisions each having around 90 polling booths.

Sources said that the UP BJP leadership has already sent a host of party leaders to assess the situation in the identified divisions and submit a detailed report as soon as possible.

Accordingly, a host of booth level functionaries would also be replaced, a senior leader said.

Sources said that these divisions are essentially within those parliamentary and assembly seats which the BJP could not win in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2022 assembly elections.

The development comes just over a month after the BJP effected a major overhaul in the organisational machinery by replacing around 70 per cent of the district presidents.

The party had earlier reshuffled the functionaries at the regional level. A host of senior party leaders, including district in-charges and presidents of various organisational fronts, are also expected to be replaced.

Sources said that some of the newly appointed district chiefs were not satisfied with the working of some of the divisional and booth-level workers and had thus recommended their replacement.

"There were also complaints of some of the workers not getting actively involved in party-related work," said a senior party leader.

UP BJP spokesperson Hero Bajpai said that the exercise was much anticipated to spruce up the ground level activities. "There have been complaints of some of the party workers turning unresponsive. They need to be changed. That is how the BJP has been operating," he said.

Political experts said that the BJP was primarily alerted by an intensified poll activity of an assertive opposition, primarily the Samajwadi Party and Congress, at the grassroots ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.