BJP names Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupender Yadav, Baijayant Panda poll in-charges for Bihar, Bengal, Tamil Nadu

The BJP on Thursday named Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav, both key OBC faces and most seasoned poll managers of the party, as its in-charge for the Assembly elections in Bihar and Bengal, respectively.

Making important appointments for three poll-bound states, including for next year, the BJP named Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, one of its vice-presidents, its in-charge for the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu where it is a junior partner to the AIADMK.

The Bihar elections are expected in November, followed by West Bengal and Tamil Nadu which are likely to go to polls in March-April 2026.

A BJP statement said Union minister C R Paatil, who heads the party's Gujarat unit and is considered a capable organisation hand, and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya have been named co-incharges for the Bihar polls.

Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb is the co-incharge for West Bengal, while Union minister Murlidhar Mohol is the co-incharge for Tamil Nadu, it said.

Both Pradhan and Yadav come from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and are among the most experienced poll managers of the BJP.

Maurya also belongs to an OBC caste, while Deb is a Bengali, an aspect which can be politically helpful for the party in the states assigned to them.

Pradhan was the in-charge for Haryana elections, while Yadav helmed a similar role for Maharashtra polls, both held in 2024, with the BJP pulling off wins of a stunning scale in the two states.

Pradhan's formal appointment for the Bihar polls came very close to the elections, though he had been involved in the state's affairs.

He was the party's co-incharge for the 2010 Bihar polls, when the BJP-JD(U) alliance scored its most emphatic victory.

He was also the in-charge in for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, while Yadav oversaw polls in Bihar and Gujarat, among others, in the past.

With the BJP's national leadership plays a central role in shaping the party's campaign for Assembly polls, election in-charges play a critical part as their bridge with state leaders and implementing the party's strategies on the ground. The co-incharges assist them in implementing the agenda.

While the BJP is eying to retain power with its main ally Janata Dal (United) in Bihar, it hopes to breach Trinamool Congress' citadel of West Bengal, where it has emerged as the main challenger to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who will complete 15 years at the helm by the next elections.

The OBC plank is especially resonant in Bihar where the community has been the dominant political force for decades, with the extremely backward classes, a subset of more deprived castes, along with a section of Scheduled Castes seen to be holding the balance of power.

Pradhan's immediate challenge will be to ensure a smooth seat-sharing arrangement among the BJP's allies, some of whom have been seeking a much larger share than it is willing to part with.

Both the BJP and the JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are expected to contest almost an equal number of seats in the elections to the 243-member Assembly, though the other allies such as Union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitam Ram Manjhi too have been vocal in airing their demands.

Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha is another ally.

In Tamil Nadu, the BJP has remained a marginal player, trying to organise a strong alliance headed by the AIADMK to take on the ruling DMK.

Panda was the party's poll in-charge for Delhi polls this year, when the BJP returned to power in the Union territory after more than 25 years.

Alongside West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, Assembly polls will also be held in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry next year.

With PTI Inputs