Lucknow, Dec. 14 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday formally appointed Union minister Pankaj Chaudhary as its new Uttar Pradesh president, drawing the curtains on months of intense speculation and signalling a clear political course correction ahead of crucial poll battles in 2026 and 2027.

Union minister Piyush Goyal, the party's presidential poll-incharge for UP, made the announcement at a grand event in Lucknow, attended by all important leaders from the party and the government, including chief minister Yogi Adiyyanath, both deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, several ministers and former UP BJP chiefs, among others. The announcement followed slogans like 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram'...