Lucknow, July 26 -- The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sent a shortlist of six names - two Brahmins, two from the backward community and two from the Dalit community, all men - to the national leadership that is set to pick the next chief of the state unit, a senior party leader said on Friday.

India's most populous state is set to go to the polls in early 2027 and the choice of the state unit chief is considered among the key decisions in front of the BJP, which will look to reverse its Lok Sabha setback in the state and secure a third consecutive term in Lucknow.

The BJP, which has already picked state chiefs in over 25 of 37 organisational units, is also gearing up to name its next national president.

The...