Rajnath Singh’s younger son gets a Uttar Pradesh BJP role: Who is Neeraj Singh?

3 min readLucknowJun 26, 2026 07:30 AM IST

Neeraj Singh replaced Noida MLA and his brother Pankaj Singh. (Photo: Facebook/Neeraj Singh)

As the Uttar Pradesh BJP on Thursday announced a team of office-bearers, the most notable appointment among the 46 members was that of Neeraj Singh, the son of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Neeraj, 44, was named one of the 19 vice-presidents of the state unit. He has long been seen as his father’s informal representative in the Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency, which Rajnath represents.

While retired IAS officer Diwakar Tripathi serves as Rajnath’s official representative in Lucknow, Neeraj is known for maintaining close contact with BJP workers, local residents and the district administration, party leaders said.

Party sources said Neeraj regularly attends organisational meetings related to the Lucknow parliamentary seat and coordinates between the local party unit and people. “Neeraj functions like an undeclared representative. He maintains coordination within the organisation, the administration and the public. He attends political programmes as well as social events in the city,” a BJP leader said.

The leader pointed to Neeraj’s recent activities following the fire tragedy in Lucknow’s Aliganj area, where 15 people lost their lives. “He visited the trauma centre and later attended the cremation of the victims. He works like a responsible son and a leader,” the leader said.

Party insiders trace Neeraj’s political involvement to the 2002 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, when Rajnath contested from the Haidergarh Assembly seat in Barabanki district. Neeraj campaigned extensively for his father during that election.

Dynastic politics charge

Soon after his appointment was announced, Neeraj shared a photograph from the 2002 campaign on social media, saying he had been active in politics for 24 years and would continue his journey with the same “devotion, energy and dedication”.

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A senior BJP leader said the post was also being viewed as a response to criticism that Neeraj’s elevation reflected dynastic politics. “Given his active participation in political and social events in Lucknow, there has long been speculation within the party that he could eventually contest the Lok Sabha election from the constituency after Rajnath,” the leader said.

Before being appointed state vice-president, Neeraj had not held any significant organisational post in the BJP, including at the district level. During the party’s 2024 membership drive, he served as co-in-charge of the campaign in the Awadh region.

Party sources said he has campaigned across the state and was also involved in campaigns for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

However, much of his political work has remained centred on constituencies represented by his father. Before Rajnath shifted to Lucknow in 2014, Neeraj was active in Ghaziabad, where he helped manage election campaigns and coordinated with party workers after Rajnath won the seat in 2009. “When Rajnath Singh moved to Lucknow, Neeraj followed him and continued the same role there,” another party leader said.

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Neeraj is the third member of the family to enter active politics. His elder brother, Pankaj Singh, is the BJP MLA from Noida and served as a vice-president in the party’s outgoing Uttar Pradesh unit.

Lalmani is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, and is based in New Delhi. He covers politics of the Hindi Heartland, tracking BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and other parties based in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Covered the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024; Assembly polls of 2012, 2017 and 2022 in UP along with government affairs in UP and Uttarakhand. ... Read More

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