Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 14 (ANI): Union Minister of State Pankaj Chaudhary on Sunday expressed gratitude to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for electing him as the party's president in Uttar Pradesh and exuded his commitment to fulfil this responsibility.

'This new responsibility is more serious and challenging than all my previous responsibilities. But I am confident that the love and dedication of the wonderful BJP workers of Uttar Pradesh will help me fulfil this great responsibility,' Pankaj Chaudhary said at the felicitation programme in Lucknow.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal handed over the charge of the BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit to Pankaj Chaudhary in the presence of party leaders and workers.

Pankaj Chaudhary, who also serves as a Union Minister of State for Finance, is a seven-time MP from Maharajganj.

'In 1991, when I was 26 years old, the BJP gave me the opportunity to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Maharajganj for the first time. And from 1991 to the 2024 elections, I have neither left Maharajganj nor the BJP. I have had the good fortune of being elected as a Member of Parliament seven times from the same party and the same parliamentary constituency. All of this has been possible only because of the hard work of the BJP and the people of Maharajganj,' Pankaj Chaudhary said.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal praised Pankaj Chaudhary, calling him a dedicated party worker

'Pankaj Chaudhary is a very dedicated worker. Uttar Pradesh has a very simple and hardworking state president. I congratulate him. Under his leadership, the Uttar Pradesh BJP will reach new heights,' he said.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya said, 'Under the leadership of the state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary, we will win more seats in 2027 than we secured in 2017.'

UP Minister Danish Azad Ansari congratulated Pankaj Chaudhary. 'It is a historic day as we are getting our new party president. The vision of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to develop and progress the state will be brought to ground reality with the support and effort of our new party president. In 2027, we will once again form a government in the state with a complete majority,' he said.

UP Minister Narendra Kashyap said that there's a lot of enthusiasm within the party over the election of a new state BJP President.

'There is a lot of enthusiasm among the party workers as a new party president is being elected after a long time. It will certainly bring new energy to the party,' he said.

UP Minister Rakesh Sachan said, 'Under Pankaj Chaudhary's direction, the party will work efficiently and lay out a roadmap for the 2027 assembly elections, aiming to secure victory.'

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior BJP leaders also extended their best wishes to Pankaj Chaudhary, expressing confidence that the party's Uttar Pradesh unit would continue to strengthen under his leadership. (ANI)