"Complete democracy, cadre-based party...not a family party: Mahendra Nath Pandey on UP BJP presidential election

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 12 : The Uttar Pradesh BJP is gearing up for its presidential election, with the nomination process set to begin tomorrow.
Mahendra Nath Pandey, the BJP's election in-charge, announced that Vinod Tawde will oversee the filing of nominations between 2-3 pm, followed by scrutiny from 4-5 pm.
Speaking with ANI, Pandey emphasised the BJP's commitment to internal democracy and transparency, highlighting that the party is cadre-based and is not a family party in a jibe at the Congress.
"There is complete democracy in the BJP. It is a cadre-based party...This is not a family party. This is a party of common people, common workers, a party of national idelology. So, a democratic election is possible here," said BJP's election in-charge.
The results are scheduled to be announced on December 14th at 1 pm, in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
"I released the list of State Council two days ago...The same has been disseminated through the media. Tomorrow, Vinod Tawde will come, and in his presence, nominations will be filed between 2 and 3 pm. These will be scrutinised from 4-5 pm...The day after (on 14th Dec), the results will be announced at 1 pm in the presence of party election in-charge Union Minister Piyush Goyal," added Pandey.
Earlier, BJP announced the schedule for electing its new Uttar Pradesh state President, with the name expected to be revealed on December 14, 2025. Nominations will be filed on December 13, and scrutiny will take place from 3-4 pm the same day.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde have been appointed as election officers. Eligible voters include MPs, MLAs, and district and regional presidents. The current UP BJP president is Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary.
Former BJP UP President Mahendra Nath Pandey announced it. According to the statement, nominations for the State president position will be filed on December 13, 2025.
The party has appointed Union Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde as election officers for the process. The scrutiny of the nominations will be held from 3 PM to 4 PM on December 13.
Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary, B.L. Verma, Ram Shankar Katheria and Dharampal Singh are among the frontrunners for the post of Uttar Pradesh BJP president. Although voting is considered unlikely, if required, five MPs--Mahesh Sharma, Satyapal Singh Baghel, Devendra Singh Bhola, Kamlesh Paswan and Vinod Kumar Bind--along with eight members of the Legislative Council, 28 MLAs and 425 district and regional presidents will be called to vote.
Traditionally, the BJP state president is chosen unanimously, and elections are rarely needed. Despite this, the party has released the list of eligible voters for the election.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh NDA MPs met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday in his parliament chamber. During this session of Parliament, the Prime Minister has been meeting NDA MPs from different states.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister reassured the MPs of his full support, saying, "Ye majdoor aapke sath khada, aap bas kaam kariye".Taking a dig at the Congress, the Prime Minister said the party merely makes promises and begins showcasing activity only when elections approach. In contrast, he noted that the NDA government operates consistently throughout the year, yet its schemes and achievements often receive insufficient public attention.
The meeting aimed to streamline communication and strengthen the alliance's engagement with citizens across Uttar Pradesh.