The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday unveiled the names of 70 newly appointed district presidents across its organizational units in Uttar Pradesh, including five women, as part of a strategic reshuffle.

Mahendra Nath Pandey, the party’s Uttar Pradesh election in-charge and former Union minister, announced that 26 of these leaders are returning for a second term.

Key appointments include Vijay Maurya as the Lucknow district president and Anand Dwivedi for the Lucknow city unit. In Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, Pradeep Agrahari will lead the city unit, while in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s Gorakhpur, Janardan Tiwari and Devesh Srivastava have been named district and city presidents, respectively. Pandey noted that the appointments cover 70 of the state’s 98 organizational districts, with the remaining 28 to be announced later.

The appointees reflect a diverse mix: 39 from the general category, 25 from Other Backward Classes (OBC), and six from Scheduled Castes (SC). The BJP’s Uttar Pradesh structure spans six regions—Kashi, Gorakhpur, Awadh, Kanpur-Bundelkhand, Braj, and Paschim—encompassing all 98 units.

Chief Minister Adityanath congratulated the appointees on X, stating, “Heartiest congratulations to all the newly appointed district and metropolitan presidents of BJP in Uttar Pradesh! I am confident that you will strengthen the organization by upholding the party’s policies and principles and contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of security and good governance.”

State BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary echoed this sentiment, posting, “Best wishes to all the newly appointed district presidents… I am confident that you will play a crucial role in taking the party’s policies to the grassroots and strengthening the organization at all levels.”

The appointments signal the BJP’s intent to bolster its grassroots network ahead of future electoral challenges in the politically vital state.