After a long wait and series of meeting with state leaders, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday appointed Mr Surya Pratap Shahi as the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief.
A former state minister, Mr Shahi is a Bhumihar, which has a politically strong presence in eastern UP.
Hailing from Deoria, Mr Shahi emerged as the obvious choice in the faction-ridden organisation, sources disclosed.
Mr Shahi was a minister in the Kalyan Singh government and is considered to be close to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).
However, a section of state unit leaders were not happy with this announcement as they were expecting a leader from western UP for the post.
Their contention was most of the party’s earlier state unit chiefs also hailed from eastern Uttar Pradesh.