By Arvind Chaturvedi
In Uttar Pradesh’s capital, Lucknow, crowds of people… resounding slogans… dhol-nagada… flowers strewn everywhere on the roads… the air filled with the fragrance of flowers… Harish Dwivedi, who was appointed National General Secretary, was given a grand welcome.
In Indian politics, Harish Dwivedi, a leader endowed with organisational skills and a strong grassroots connect, has been appointed as the National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The party’s top leadership entrusted him with this important responsibility in the new national team.
Harish Dwivedi began his political life as a grassroots worker. He entered student politics by joining the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and handled important responsibilities such as District Chief in Basti district.
Due to his RSS background and ideological firmness, he soon established a strong foothold in the BJP organisation. In the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the party made him its candidate from the Basti Sadar seat.
He was elected twice as a Member of Parliament from the Basti Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and represented the region in Parliament. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he faced defeat. Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Ram Prasad Chaudhary won the Basti Lok Sabha seat, defeating Harish Dwivedi by a margin of approximately 1,00,994 votes.
Despite this, his influence and activism within the party organisation remained undiminished. By making Harish Dwivedi the National General Secretary of the BJP, the party has tried to hit several targets with one arrow. Harish Dwivedi is considered a ‘master organiser’ within the party. Apart from Uttar Pradesh, he has worked as the party’s co-in-charge in states like Assam and Bihar. Particularly in Assam, his skilful management is considered to have made a major contribution to the party’s strategy and victory.
Hailing from Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh, Harish Dwivedi is a prominent Brahmin face. Keeping in mind caste and regional balance and the upcoming political challenges, the party has promoted him to the national level.
Even after the defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he did not get disheartened; instead, he remained fully engaged in organisational expansion and party work. His continuous dedication and working style attracted the attention of the central leadership. In the party’s new national team, he has been given this important responsibility to strike a balance between youthful energy and experienced organisational capability, so that the organisation can be further strengthened.
Harish Dwivedi’s appointment reflects that in the Bharatiya Janata Party, rising above electoral defeat and victory, workers who continuously sweat for the party and possess organisational efficiency are given big positions.
In India, the Brahmin community makes up around 5% to 6% of the total population, but politically their influence is not limited to their numbers. In many states, this community plays a ‘turning point’ or decisive role in determining election results.
This cannot be tied to any fixed number or set of seats, because their influence mainly depends on select states and their geographical conditions. In Uttar Pradesh, the population of Brahmin voters is approximately 8% to 10%. Out of the state’s 80 Lok Sabha seats and 403 Assembly seats, Brahmin voters have a decisive or strong influence in 100 to 125 seats. Particularly in Purvanchal, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Deoria, as well as on dozens of seats in central Uttar Pradesh, they have a direct impact.
In Bihar, among the upper castes, the Brahmin population is significant, at approximately 4% to 5%. Here, there are about 30 to 40 Assembly seats where Brahmin voters play a significant role in deciding the fate of candidates. Their influence is considered the highest in the Mithilanchal region.
In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, about 7% to 8% of the total population is Brahmin. In the Vindhya, Gwalior-Chambal and Mahakoshal regions, Brahmin voters have the capacity to influence the outcome in about 45 to 60 Assembly seats. Similarly, in Rajasthan, with about 7% of the population, Brahmin voters directly influence approximately 30 to 35 seats in the Jaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Jodhpur and Mewar belt.
In many seats, even if their population is not the highest, they act as ‘swing voters’, meaning that whichever party or candidate they unite behind, the scales tip in that direction.
Politicians believe that members of the Brahmin community are ideologically aware at the local level. They play an important role in shaping the electoral atmosphere, which is why almost all major political parties formulate special strategies to bring them into their fold.
Harish Dwivedi does not come from a family with a political background. His father, Sadhu Sharan Dubey, was not in politics; he was a teacher by profession and served at Janta Inter College. He comes from an ordinary middle-class family. His mother’s name is Shrimati Yashoda Devi. Harish is married to Vinita Dwivedi. The couple have a son, Kushagra Dwivedi, and a daughter, Avantika Dwivedi.
Assembly elections are due in Uttar Pradesh in 2027… Amid the controversy over donations at the Ram Temple… and the growing influence of Gen Z in the country and the state after the Gen Z movement, it will be interesting to see how effective Harish Dwivedi proves to be, having risen from student politics to become a leader.
Harish’s ease and simplicity in meeting people set him apart from others. Harish Dwivedi comes from a student-politics background. Through Harish, the BJP wants to send a message that victory and defeat do not matter — what matters is moving forward and facing challenges.
For such people, Aristotle said: “Young people are easily excited because of their emotions and enthusiasm, but for long-term success in politics, not just enthusiasm, but experience and discretion are essential.”
