India, Dec. 14 -- The BJP's decision in 2022 to install a Jat leader from western UP was guided by the intensity of the farmers' agitation. The current choice appears driven by the setback the BJP suffered, particularly in eastern UP, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and its growing concern ahead of the assembly polls due in early 2027 and also the three-tier panchayat polls in the middle of the next year. This prompted the leadership to rely on an OBC Kurmi face from the region. While the actual name was not known to anyone, it had been widely speculated over the past few days that the party's next state president would be drawn either from the Kurmi community or from the Brahmin fold. "For the BJP, OBC support remains indispensable in Uttar Pradesh," said a senior party leader, adding, "The party's grand comeback to power in 2017-after a 14-year gap - is widely credited to the unwavering backing it received from OBC voters under Keshav Prasad Maurya's leadership as the state BJP chief." Though the party later experimented with Brahmin faces, the setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where a section of non-Yadav OBCs drifted away and dented its Uttar Pradesh tally that came down to just 33 from 62 in 2019, forced a strategic rethink. With the high-stakes 2027 assembly battle barely a year away, the BJP has chosen not to take chances and has once again placed its bet on an OBC face for the state president's post, aiming to consolidate a bloc crucial to its electoral arithmetic. Among the OBCs, the party relied on a Kurmi face. Forming 7-8% of the state's total population, Kurmis are the second largest and most influential OBC group after Yadavs in Uttar Pradesh. They are largely present in eastern UP. The prominent districts with a sizable Kurmi population include Mirzapur, Varanasi, Chandauli, Bhadohi, Sonbhadra, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Bareilly, Kanpur, Unnao and Barabanki. BJP insiders say the drift of Kurmi voters played a key role in the party's losses in eastern Uttar Pradesh, prompting a course correction ahead of the 2027 assembly polls. By moving to appoint Pankaj Chaudhary as the new state president, the party hopes to rebuild its OBC base, with a particular focus on Kurmis. "The elevation of an experienced OBC leader like Pankaj Chaudhary will significantly help re-consolidate OBC support, including Kurmis, across the state," a senior BJP leader said....