Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh BJP on Tuesday named state transport minister Swatantra Dev Singh as party’s state president replacing Mahendra Nath Pandey who was inducted into the union cabinet. The announcement comes a day after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The appointment of Singh, an OBC leader, as party’s state unit chief is seen as part of the BJP's effort to consolidate its support among the OBCs, who strongly backed it in the state Assembly and recent Lok Sabha polls.
Born in the Mirzapur district of UP, Singh has been known for working in the Jalaun district of Bundelkhand. Singh, who comes from a family with no political background, was the first person in his family to join RSS and subsequently join BJP. By appointing Swatantra Dev Singh as its state chief, BJP will also be able to give a strong message to the Bundelkhand region, which is considered one of the most backward regions of the state.
The journey of Swatantra Dev Singh started in 1986 when he joined RSS as a Pracharak. In 1988-99, Singh went on to become a member of Akhil Bhartiya Vidharthi Parishad (ABVP) and was given the charge of Kanpur BJP Yuva Morcha in 1991.
In 1994, Singh was made in-charge of Bundelkhan Yuva Morcha and remained in the post until he was selected General Secretary of the Yuva Morcha 1996. Swatantra Dev Singh was appointed as State President of BJP Yuva Morcha in 2001.
Swatantra Dev Singh’s name was also heard in the race of Chief Minister Post after the BJP was elected with a huge margin in 2017 state assembly elections. He was later appointed as the Transport Minister of the state Yogi Adityanath government in the state.
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