Lucknow, July 26 -- Amid long-prevailing guesswork and uncertainty over who will be the next BJP chief in Uttar Pradesh, the party's state unit has shortlisted six names - two Brahmin, two Scheduled Caste (SC) and two Other Backward Class (OBC) leaders, a very senior leader in the party organisation revealed. Whether the central leadership will pick one of these names or spring a surprise by appointing someone outside the list will be interesting to watch, the senior leader added. The new state president will replace Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, a Jat leader from Western Uttar Pradesh. The names suggested include Dinesh Sharma, Harish Dwivedi, Dharampal Singh, BL Verma, Rama Shankar Katheria and Vidya Sagar Sonkar. "On our part, we have suggested to the Central leadership suitable names that can be considered for the post of UP BJP chief and the leadership is actively evaluating them. A decision is likely within the next two weeks, possibly earlier," he said. The final choice may even be someone outside the shortlist since it was all up to the high command, he added. However, the name of the new state president, according to him, will be announced only after fulfilling all the formalities for his election and the election date would be announced in advance. Union minister Piyush Goyal has already been nominated the election officer for Uttar Pradesh. The shortlisted contenders for the Uttar Pradesh BJP president's post reflect the party's effort to balance caste, regional influence and organisational experience. Among the upper-caste faces, former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma and former MP Harish Dwivedi stand out. Sharma, a Brahmin leader known for his clean image and academic credentials, enjoys the confidence of the RSS and the top leadership. However, his lack of a mass base may work against him. Dwivedi, also a Brahmin, brings youth and parliamentary experience, having served as an MP from Basti and held a national secretary role in the party. While articulate and politically active, he has faced some controversies and does not command a strong statewide presence. The OBC leaders in the fray include Dharmpal Singh and BL Verma, both from the influential Lodh community. Singh, a senior minister in the Yogi cabinet, has decades of legislative and ministerial experience. Though rooted in grassroots politics, his traditional style and advancing age may not align with the party's push for a more dynamic leadership. Verma, currently Union minister of state, is seen as a disciplined and low-profile organiser with deep RSS links. He enjoys trust within the organisation but lacks a mass connect and public charisma. From the Scheduled Castes, two prominent names figure-Ram Shankar Katheria and Vidya Sagar Sonkar. Katheria, a former Union minister and ex-chairman of the National SC Commission, is known for his aggressive articulation of Hindutva and Dalit identity. His ideological clarity is appreciated by hardliners, but his polarising image and some controversies that surrounded him could be a hurdle. Sonkar, an MLC, on the other hand, is a low-key but loyal party worker with influence in eastern UP. While dependable, his limited visibility and soft persona may not help galvanise cadres across the state. The BJP has so far declared its state presidents in most of the states before the election of the national president but has not been able to take a call on UP, the politically most crucial state. The new state president, it is believed, would be one who also enjoys good rapport with chief minister Yogi Aditanath who called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and party national president JP Nadda in Delhi on July 19. Party insiders indicated that the announcement of the new UP BJP chief might precede the appointment of the next national president and this was likely to happen very soon. UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary said, "We have apprised the high command of our views. Now, it is for the Central leadership to declare the name of the new president for the state and this, we hope will happen very soon." While caste representation remains a critical factor, organisational experience, RSS connect, and grassroots influence are also under scrutiny. An OBC leader may emerge as a strong contender given the greater electoral significance of OBCs in the state. An SC may have a chance given the BJP's renewed focus to woo them and also because BJP in UP has never had a Dalit president. The BJP came to power in UP after a gap of a decade and a half in 2017 under the leadership (as the state BJP chief) of Keshav Prasad Maurya, a vocal OBC leader and deputy chief minister in the Yogi government. "The chances of an upper caste leader becoming the state president get reduced because of the fact that Yogi Adityanath, who leads the government for the second consecutive term, also comes from an upper caste (Thakur)," another BJP functionary noted....