The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is proceeding and progressing with its internal organisational elections. By the end of this month, states are required to complete elections for booth, district, and division presidents. Following this, new presidents will be elected in half of the states by December 15, at which point the process for electing the national president can begin. JP Nadda is heading the party since January 2020 and his three-year term was extended to facilitate the process to elect his replacement. As per the party constitution, the term of the national president is three years after being elected generally by consensus. The “think tank” of BJP is keen on an OBC or SC national president as due to this, they aspire to prominently improve their strength in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. The new national president will be chosen with the approval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat. The names doing the rounds for party chief post include Bhupendra Yadav, Union Ministers ManoharLalKhattar and BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam.
TRINAMOOL CONGRESS TO RAISE PEOPLE-CENTRIC ISSUES IN PARLIAMENT
In contrast to the Congress’ approach, which is continuously raking up the issue of industrialist Gautam Adani’s conglomerate being indicted with fraud and bribery charges in the United States, the TMC has said that it will maintain its emphasize on people-centric issues. The TMC leadership had identified issues that it wants to be discussed in both Houses of Parliament. These issues are inflation, unemployment, the tense situation in Manipur and the alleged central funds deprivation to West Bengal. TMC though a constituent of the opposition’s INDIA bloc nationally, does not partner with the group electorally. It has maintained that while it continues to be a part of the bloc, it also has a varied outlook.
AFTER RAJASTHAN BYPOLL SETBACK, CONGRESS TO DO LEADERSHIP RESHUFFLE
The Congress winning just one of the seven assembly bypolls in Rajasthan is a big lesson and setback, that is being blamed on the party’s decision to go it alone rather than field joint candidates under the INDIA bloc. While the Congress retained Dausa in the bypolls, three other constituencies it had won in the assembly polls last year slipped out of its hands. This has brought down the Congress’s strength in 200-member legislative assembly to 66.The blame for the miserable performance will fall mainly on Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra. Now who will replace Dotasra once his term as state unit chief ends? According to sources, the party is likely to appoint Sachin Pilot as the PCC Chief of Rajasthan in the forthcoming reshuffle.
HEMANT AND KALPANA SOREN SEAL THEIR PLACE IN JHARKHAND, BJP BITES DUST
Despite the BJP’s strong push for the double-engine narrative, the party has failed to resonate with Jharkhand’s voters. Even though the party has three adivasi ex-chief ministers in Arjun Munda, Babulal Marandi and Champai Soren in its fold, the BJP’s divisive election campaign was led by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. On the other hand, the two leading faces of the INDIA bloc were Hemant Soren and Kalpana Soren. Kalpana Soren emerged as a top INDIA bloc leader in this election, and a crowd-puller in her own right. Hemant Soren effectively established himself as the leader of the alliance. The BJP rhetoric of Bangladeshi infiltration in the Santhal Pargana region was unsuccessful and failed to consolidate Scheduled Tribe voters in its favour, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance losing 27 of the 28 ST-reserved seats it contested across the state. Meanwhile, after the crushing defeat of BJP in the state, National Organization General Secretary BL Santosh has requested a well detailed report from the election in-charges, including Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The defeat has led to speculation about significant organizational changes within the BJP. According to sources, the state president could be replaced in a bid to rejuvenate the party’s leadership.
ODISHA CONGRESS SET FOR BIG REHAUL, ELECTING NEW STATE PRESIDENT
Four months after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) dissolved the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) in the wake of the party’s poor performance in the 2024 elections, the Congress has started the discussion on leadership and organisational reforms to revitalise the state unit. The Congress is aiming for a new face to rejuvenate the party in the state. Senior leaders, many of whom have been given multiple leadership roles over the years, have been unable to significantly improve the party’s performance in the elections. Speculations are rife in the Congress that Meenakshi Natrajan shall be promoted to AICC general secretary and she would be given the responsibility of the in-charge of Odisha Congress. Meanwhile, the names that have emerged as frontrunners for the post of state president are former Union ministers Srikant Jena and Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka.
AFTER ASSEMBLY POLLS SETBACK, CONGRESS TO RESHUFFLE STATE UNITS
After Congress lost the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, the major organisational reshuffle in the Congress is likely to be decided soon. The party is planning a round of fresh appointments at AICC and in the state of Haryana, Odisha and Rajasthan. The buzz is that general secretary KC Venugopal, who won the Lok Sabha election from Alappuzha, will shift to Kerala as KPCC head. Venugopal who is close and too considered as the eyes and ears of the Rahul Gandhi, has moved into key roles in the decision-making apparatus of the Congress. The grapevine is rife that a new Congress general secretary of organization will be appointed in place of Venugopal. The name which seems to be doing round is of former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot. (IPA Service)
Uncertainty Over The Appointment Of New BJP State President Damages Party In Bengal 