Just when one thought gubernatorial duties at Raj Bhavan meant curtains on Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh’s political innings, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister seems more than willing to take up the challenge of 2017 assembly elections in his home state.

According to a report, BJP leadership has zeroed in on Kalyan Singh to lead the party’s campaign in UP. The report suggests that Singh will return to active politics, but will not be projected as chief ministerial candidate as BJP has already appointed another Other Backward Class (OBC) leader Keshav Prasad Maurya as the state unit chief. If reports of the octogenarian leader’s return are true, it would be a big boost to the party’s prospects in the state.

Warm b'day wishes to HE Governor of Rajasthan, Sh Kalyan Singh ji, may God bless him with good health & long life. pic.twitter.com/sh6nhv3CZo — Kalraj Mishra (@KalrajMishra) January 5, 2016

The 84-year-old was a firebrand leader in his heydays and an integral part of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He still commands respect across the political spectrum and can galvanise BJP’s rank and file.

The two-time chief minister was in the hot seat during the Babri Masjid demolition after which his government was dismissed in 1992. He publicly said he was willing to take all responsibility for the unfortunate incident, but firmly maintained he had not done anything that amounted to contempt of court. He claims to have told the then Home Minister SB Chavan that he will not order any firing on karsevaks as done by his predecessor Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1990. He was awarded one day’s imprisonment by the Supreme Court.

Singh belongs to the Lodh community (OBC), which comes as an added advantage in BJP’s efforts to make inroads into the sizeable vote bank in the labyrinthine layers of caste in the North Indian state. For those who have heard Singh at rallies during the 90s, there is hardly any orator who can still match his skills. The likes of Singh, Maurya, Union minister Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar will provide the perfect counterfoil for BJP against Mulayam and Mayawati’s overtures towards the OBCs which constitute almost half of the state’s population.