West Uttar Pradesh may get major importance in the Uttar Pradesh government’s cabinet expansion. From Meerut, Dr Somendra Tomar has received a promotion. He has now become a minister with independent charge. Tomar had reached Lucknow early in the morning, which had already sparked political discussion.
His promotion carries a clear social and electoral message. In western UP, the Gurjar community is an important voting bloc. By promoting Somendra Tomar, the BJP is trying to attract Gurjar voters ahead of the election.
Focus on the Gurjar Vote Bank
Tomar’s promotion is important as the Samajwadi Party has also recently tried to reach out to Gurjar voters. A few days ago, the party organised a conference in Dadri. Through debates around identity politics and the controversy linked to Samrat Mihir Bhoj, the SP tried to build a political narrative aimed at bringing the Gurjar community closer to itself.
There is also a discussion that under the present political situation, Dr Somendra Tomar could soon get an even bigger role in the cabinet.
From Student Politics to State Minister
Dr Somendra Tomar began his political journey in student politics at Chaudhary Charan Singh University. He is now serving his second term as MLA from the Meerut South assembly seat.
He first entered public attention through campus politics. From 1998 to 2004, he remained active in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). In 1998, he served as the university minister of ABVP. In 2004, he won the student union president election from the ABVP panel.
He later became a state coordinator of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. After that, he spent nearly eight years working at the organisational level.
Long Political Struggle Before Breakthrough
The BJP first considered him for an assembly ticket in 2012, but the party later changed its decision. His breakthrough came in 2017 when the BJP gave him a ticket from Meerut South. He won the election by a big margin.
In the 2022 assembly election, he faced a tough contest but defeated alliance candidate Adil Chaudhary. After that victory, the party gave him the responsibility as Minister of State for Energy.
Now, with his promotion in the cabinet expansion, Tomar has reached another important stage in his political career. He is seen as one of the few leaders from student politics who rose steadily to a major place in mainstream state politics.
Family Background
Dr Somendra Tomar originally belongs to Khaili village in Baghpat district. He currently lives in Shastri Nagar in Meerut. His father, Mahendra Singh Tomar, served as a principal before retirement.
Tomar has two brothers and four sisters. He has three children — one daughter and two sons. His rise from campus politics to the state cabinet has now become an important political story in western UP.
