BJP appoints poll in-charge for five states, Dharmendra Pradhan to look after UP

New Delhi : BJP on Wednesday appointed Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan in-charge for the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly polls next year.

BJP President JP Nadda also announced the election in-charge for Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, which go to polls in 2022.

While Pradhan was made the in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, which is crucial for BJP, seven co-incharge for the polls were appointed. They include four central ministers – Anrurag Thakur, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Shobha Karandlaje and Annapurna Devi.

Rajya Sabha MPs Saroj Pandey and Vivek Thakur, and former Haryana minister Captain Abhimanyu were also appointed co-incharge for the polls.

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will be the in-charge for upcoming Punjab polls. Central ministers Hardeep Puri, Meenakshi Lekhi and MP Vinod Chavda will be co-incharge for the state.

For Uttarakhand, Union minister Pralhad Joshi will be the election in-charge. Lok Sabha MP Locket Chatterjee and party spokesperson R P Singh were made co-incharge.

For Manipur, Bhupendra Yadav will be poll in-charge, while Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik and Assam minister Ashok Singhal will be co-incharge.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will be the poll in-charge for Goa election, while central ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Darshana Jardosh will be co-incharge.

BJP is presently ruling Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, while Punjab has a Congress government.