Lucknow: BJP on Tuesday appointed its Rajya Sabha MP and national general secretary Vinod Tawde as party’s Uttar Pradesh incharge, a key move ahead of the next year’s UP Assembly elections. BJP national secretary Jagdish Ishwarbhai Patel has been appointed co-incharge.The appointments came a day after the party announced its new national team under Nitin Nabin, including eight members from Uttar Pradesh.Tawde and Sunil Bansal are the only two national general secretaries retained in the new national team as a reward for their remarkable organisational work.Tawde’s appointment signals BJP’s decision to place an experienced strategist at the centre of its preparations in a state where it could face a stiff challenge from the Samajwadi Party and its ally Congress.Tawde, 63, an OBC leader from Maharashtra, was at the forefront of UP BJP’s recent reshuffle. Sources said he was among the key functionaries who provided feedback about the state unit to BJP president Nitin Nabin.With roots in RSS students wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Tawde is a prominent organisational functionary who focuses on grassroots mobilisation and organisational strengthening.Tawde is not new to the UP BJP organisation. Following the removal of the previous UP incharge, Radha Mohan Singh, after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the position remained officially vacant for two years. During this period, Tawde informally managed the state’s organizational affairs and strategic coordination on behalf of the central leadership.In Dec 2025, he was formally dispatched to UP by the national leadership as a central observer to oversee the high-stakes election process for the UP BJP state president. In April this year, he was deputed to Lucknow as a special observer to resolve internal discontent regarding appointments to state commissions, boards, and corporations.Mumbai-born Tawde was Maharashtra BJP general secretary from 1995 to 1999 and again from 2002 to 2014. He was Mumbai BJP president between 1999 and 2002. He was elected to Maharashtra Legislative Council thrice and was also Leader of the Opposition. Later, he represented Borivali constituency as MLA from 2014 to 2019. In Devendra Fadnavis govt (2014-19), Tawde held key portfolios, including education and sports.Jagdish Ishwarbhai Patel, 61, is also regarded as a strong grassroots leader from Ahmedabad. BJP sources said he brings electoral experience from Ahmedabad’s Amraiwadi constituency, where he won the 2019 assembly bypoll on a BJP ticket after the seat fell vacant following Hasmukhbhai Patel’s election to Lok Sabha.
