Before concluding his three-day visit to Uttarakhand, BJP national president Nitin Nabin reached out to party workers across organisational levels — from booth presidents to the state leadership — while indicating that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami would remain the party’s face for the 2027 Assembly elections.Here are the key takeaways from Nabin’s first visit to the Himalayan state as BJP president:Amid recurring speculation over factionalism within the BJP’s Uttarakhand unit and rumours of a possible leadership change, Nabin used his visit to publicly praise Dhami’s leadership.Addressing an interaction with intellectuals in Dehradun on Saturday, Nabin said every Indian felt proud of the “Chief Minister of Uttarakhand” for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and setting an example for the rest of the country.Read | True Gen-Z defined by both its culture and contribution towards nation building: BJP president Nitin NabinReferring to development projects in the state, Nabin said: “The way the development of the Ganga riverfront has begun and work is being done on the Haridwar Corridor, it will certainly bring the blessings of Maa Ganga. Under your leadership, a good government will also be formed here in 2027.”A release issued by the BJP central headquarters later echoed the message more explicitly.Reviewing poll preparednessParty sources said Nabin reviewed Assembly segments and polling booths where the BJP either lost narrowly in the 2022 Assembly elections or underperformed during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.Story continues below this ad“A dedicated team of senior leaders from the state core committee will be assigned to such booths and Assembly constituencies. They will hold meetings with booth committees through June, July and August, identify local issues, and coordinate with the government for their resolution,” said a senior BJP functionary.Read | Fake distress call from ‘BJP president’s aide’ costs Chhattisgarh MLA Rs 10,000According to party leaders, MPs will also be tasked with working in Assembly constituencies where the BJP suffered narrow defeats in 2022.In the 70-member Assembly elections held in 2022, 23 seats were decided by margins of less than 5,000 votes. The BJP won 47 seats and returned to power, although Dhami lost from Khatima but subsequently entered the Assembly through the Champawat bypoll. The Congress won 19 seats, while the BSP and Independents secured two seats each.Of the 23 closely contested seats, the BJP won 13, the Congress nine and the BSP one.Story continues below this adMost of the BJP’s losses were concentrated in the Haridwar, Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and Almora Lok Sabha constituencies. Haridwar MP Trivendra Singh Rawat, Union Minister of State Ajay Tamta, who represents Almora, and Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar MP Ajay Bhatt are expected to play key roles in the outreach effort.In line with his focus on organisation, Nabin spent nearly six hours at the BJP state headquarters in Dehradun on the first day of his visit, holding meetings with the core committee and Cabinet ministers to review departmental performance and organisational issues.Read | Could Union Cabinet reshuffle be on the cards? BJP appointment of new state chiefs signals wider changes may be comingThe following day, he met MPs, MLAs, state office-bearers, morcha presidents, district presidents, mayors and representatives of local bodies. He directed MPs and MLAs to increase their presence in rural areas and engage with at least 100 intellectuals and influential individuals in every Assembly constituency.In a symbolic outreach exercise, Nabin also visited the residence of a Dalit booth president from the Mussoorie Assembly constituency, shared tea and snacks with his family and sought feedback on the functioning of the government and the party. He later addressed a meeting of booth committees from neighbouring polling stations.Story continues below this ad“Through this visit, the BJP chief connected with workers from the booth level to the state and national leadership and effectively set the party machinery in motion for the 2027 Assembly elections,” said Mathura Dutt Joshi, BJP’s Uttarakhand spokesperson.Other engagementsNabin, who started his Uttarakhand visit on Thursday, participated in the Ganga Aarti in Rishikesh on Friday. On Saturday, he met seers at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh and later visited Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple in Dehradun.He later addressed youths at the Yuva Shakti Samvad and also spoke to students, academicians, and eminent personalities at an academic conclave on the theme, Building Viksit Bharat 2047: The Transformative Role of Higher Education in Dehradun.Social media pushWith social media increasingly shaping political opinion, particularly among younger voters, Nabin urged party office-bearers to use digital platforms more effectively to counter what he described as the Congress’s “anti-BJP narrative”.Story continues below this adSources said he came armed with reports on the online activity of party leaders and expressed concern over the limited engagement of some legislators.“He even pointed out that some MLAs do not repost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media posts, despite him being the party’s tallest leader,” a BJP leader said.The BJP’s organisational push comes ahead of a two-day visit by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi beginning June 4.Congress leaders said Gandhi will address a public meeting in Almora, interact with ex-servicemen in Pauri and hold meetings with district and state-level office-bearers in Dehradun as part of the party’s efforts to energise its cadre and begin preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.