BJP's new UP co-in-charge Pradeep Verma attacks SP over 'divisive politics'
Synopsis
With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls more than a year away, the BJP has already restructured its state team and put its new co-in-charge on the offensive — targeting Akhilesh Yadav's PDA Yatra and framing the contest as development versus 'divisive appeasement.' The early aggression signals how seriously the party rates the UP battleground.
Key Takeaways
Pradeep Kumar Verma was appointed BJP's Uttar Pradesh co-in-charge on 24 September 2026 by national president Nitin Nabin .
Vinod Tawde is the new UP in-charge; Jagadish Patel , Medha Kulkarni , and Anant Ojha join Verma as co-in-charges.
Verma attacked the Samajwadi Party's PDA Yatra, calling it driven by 'negative and divisive' politics rooted in caste appeasement.
He condemned posters in Rae Bareli depicting Akhilesh Yadav in the likeness of Hindu deities.
Verma also slammed VIP chief Mukesh Sahani over his inflammatory remarks targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar .
The reshuffle signals early BJP mobilisation ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections .
Newly appointed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Uttar Pradesh co-in-charge Pradeep Kumar Verma on Thursday, 24 September 2026, launched a sharp attack on the opposition — particularly the Samajwadi Party (SP) — asserting that 'divisive politics' will no longer find traction in Uttar Pradesh. His remarks came hours after BJP national president Nitin Nabin announced a sweeping reshuffle of the party's UP management team ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
New BJP Leadership for Uttar Pradesh
According to the appointments announced by BJP chief Nitin Nabin, Vinod Tawde has been named the party's Uttar Pradesh in-charge. Alongside him, Jagadish Patel, Medha Kulkarni, Pradeep Verma, and Anant Ojha have been designated as co-in-charges. The restructuring signals the party's intent to begin ground-level mobilisation well in advance of the state polls.
Verma, a BJP Member of Parliament, expressed gratitude for the assignment, describing Uttar Pradesh as a state that 'holds the greatest influence over Indian politics.' He noted that during the previous Assembly elections, he had overseen party work in the Chandauli, Mirzapur, and Sonbhadra districts — experience he said gave him a firsthand understanding of the state's political landscape.
Attack on SP's PDA Yatra and Akhilesh Yadav
Verma directly responded to Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's PDA Yatra, which is set to begin from Rae Bareli. 'Given the direction in which Uttar Pradesh is now moving, it is certain that those pursuing negative and divisive agendas will no longer succeed in politics here,' he said. He contended that the state has moved well beyond politics built on caste calculations or what he termed 'appeasement.'
Verma also condemned the display of posters in Rae Bareli that reportedly depict SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in the likeness of deities including Lord Krishna, Lord Ram, and Lord Hanuman. Comparing opposition leaders to a 'watermelon,' he said they 'appear one way on the outside but are different from inside — only full of appeasement politics.'
BJP's Pitch: Development and Law-and-Order Under Yogi
Verma made an emphatic case for the incumbent BJP government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, citing strides in industrialisation, infrastructure development, and improvements in the law-and-order situation. 'The people of the state are witnessing how the government, under the leadership of the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has worked to elevate UP to the category of a developed state,' he said.
He contrasted the current administration with what he described as the SP's earlier tenure, when, according to him, 'Mafias' ran the state and the administration was 'utterly demoralised and despondent.' Critics from the SP, however, contest this characterisation, pointing to development indices and welfare delivery during Akhilesh Yadav's 2012–2017 government.
Verma on Mukesh Sahani's Controversial Remarks
Separately, Verma weighed in on a controversy surrounding Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani, who earlier on Thursday triggered a political row by saying he would have 'shot' Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar if he were permitted to get away with one murder — remarks made amid reported differences within the poll panel. Verma said, 'The people of Bihar have already put Mukesh Sahani in his place. These people only talk about bloodshed and murder; that is all that occupies their minds 24 hours a day.' He added that Sahani 'should first save his political existence in Bihar.'
Road to 2027: Early Signals
The BJP's reorganisation of its UP management structure over a year before the scheduled 2027 polls reflects the party's recognition of the electoral weight the state carries — UP sends 80 Members of Parliament to the Lok Sabha, the highest of any state. With the SP mobilising through yatras and the BJP tightening its organisational grip, the contest for the state's political narrative is already well under way.
Point of View
Rather than detailing any organisational plan, suggests the early strategy is counter-narrative rather than constructive. Yet framing Akhilesh Yadav's outreach as 'divisive' while simultaneously invoking the Yogi government's law-and-order record is a double-edged play: it energises the base but risks alienating undecided voters who remember the SP era less starkly than the BJP's rhetoric implies. The real organisational test will come in the booth-level groundwork, not in press-conference volleys.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Pradeep Kumar Verma and what role has he been given?
Pradeep Kumar Verma is a BJP Member of Parliament who has been appointed Uttar Pradesh co-in-charge by party national president Nitin Nabin on 24 September 2026. He joins Jagadish Patel, Medha Kulkarni, and Anant Ojha as co-in-charges, with Vinod Tawde serving as the overall UP in-charge.
What is the SP's PDA Yatra that Verma criticised?
The PDA Yatra is a political outreach initiative by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, set to begin from Rae Bareli. Verma described it as an exercise in 'negative and divisive' politics aimed at caste mobilisation, a characterisation the SP has not accepted.
Why did Verma condemn posters in Rae Bareli?
Verma condemned posters reportedly displayed in Rae Bareli that depicted SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in the likeness of Hindu deities Lord Krishna, Lord Ram, and Lord Hanuman, calling such imagery an example of the opposition's 'appeasement politics.'
What did Verma say about Mukesh Sahani?
Verma criticised Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahani after Sahani made a controversial remark saying he would have shot Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar if permitted to commit one murder. Verma said the people of Bihar had already 'put Sahani in his place' and called on him to first secure his own political survival in Bihar.
How significant is the Uttar Pradesh election for national politics?
Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state and sends 80 Members of Parliament to the Lok Sabha — more than any other state — making it a crucial battleground for both national and state-level power. Both the BJP and the SP are already positioning themselves well ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
