With Eye on 2019, Amit Shah Appoints BJP Campaign Managers in 17 States; Zadaphia Made UP In-Charge

New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday appointed the party’s in-charges for the Lok Sabha polls for 17 states.

Former Gujarat Minister Govardhan Zadaphia, has been made in charge of the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh which accounts for 80 Lok Sabha seats.

Zadaphia had left the BJP ahead of the 2013 Gujarat Assembly polls to launch his own party with Keshubhai Patel. He returned to the party fold a few years back. After parting ways with the BJP, Zadaphia was active in mobilising patels. His work later crystallised into quota stir led by Hardik Patel. He was also MoS Home in the Modi government in Gujarat. In the assembly polls last year, he organised grassroots level conventions in Gujarat to explain the new tax regime under GST.

To assist him, Shah has named Dushyant Gautam — who is a known Dalit leader and also the party vice-president — and Narottam Mishra, who is from Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP is likely to face a tough challenge from a prospective alliance of the SP and the BSP.

In other important development, Om Mathur, who managed last assembly polls in UP in 2017, has been sent back to Gujarat.

Mathur had earlier worked in Gujarat during Narendra Modi's tenure as the CM of the state.

The BJP president has also roped in Union minister Prakash Javadekar for leading the campaign in Rajasthan and Thawarchand Gehlot, another minister, for Uttarakhand.

BJP general secretaries Bhupender Yadav and Anil Jain have been assigned Bihar and Chhattisgarh respectively, according to a statement.

The BJP has also appointed in-charges and co-incharges for several other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Punjab, Telangana and Sikkim among others.

The BJP has also appointed in-charges and co-incharges for several other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Punjab, Telangana and Sikkim among others.