Organization’s preparedness for Mission 2024 discussed
New chiefs named in 4 States
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 4: Two important meetings featuring BJP and RSS leaders from Jammu and Kashmir were held during last two days with top brass of the two organizations in which the party’s strategy for Lok Sabha elections, strengthening organization for local polls and celebrations of nine years of Narendra Modi Government were prominently discussed.
BJP national level general secretaries and other senior leaders took online review of party’s preparedness in five States/UTs including New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir from New Delhi this morning.
Several senior leaders–three national general secretaries and other office bearers including Tarun Chug, Incharge Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh UTs, and Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh were among those who joined the meeting online from New Delhi while BJP UT chief Ravinder Raina, general secretary (Organizations) Ashok Koul and Jugal Kishore Sharma, Lok Sabha MP from Jammu attended the meeting from here.
The BJP high command reviewed celebrations of nine years of Narendra Modi Government, taking Centre’s welfare measures and pro-poor schemes to every nook and corner of the UT, frequent visits by the Members of Parliament (MPs) to their constituencies as just 10 months are left for Lok Sabha elections, preparedness for 2024 and further strengthening of the organization.
BJP leaders from the UT put forth their suggestions before the high command and elaborated on programmes already held to celebrate nine years of the BJP Government at the Centre and more functions scheduled to be held in next few days.
BJP State presidents and general secretary (Organizations) and MPs from New Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh also attended the online meeting.
As per the party insiders, the BJP has geared itself up for Mission 2024 though there are still 10 months left for Lok Sabha elections. The BJP high command wants the party units in States/UTs to start preparations in advance for Lok Sabha polls to stay well ahead of the Opposition.
Meanwhile, another crucial meeting of the RSS was held at Sonepat in Haryana which was attended by senior leaders from national level and top BJP and RSS leaders from the Union Territory.
Both BJP and RSS leaders, however, declined to share details of the meeting on the ground that it was “strategy session” which can’t be revealed.
But there were reports that the BJP and RSS leaders discussed strategy for winning at least four Lok Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Presently, the BJP has three seats from the two UTs including Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh. It has won these three seats for two consecutive terms and want to keep the momentum going in 2024 as well to score hat-trick.
The BJP has also pinned hopes on South Kashmir-Pir Panjal seat which has sizeable number of Pahari voters and the Centre is going to give Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to Paharis shortly.
The RSS-BJP meeting is understood to have discussed steps required to further strengthen the organization at grassroots level.
It may be mentioned here that senior BJP leaders from Jammu and Kashmir including Dr Jitendra Singh, Ravinder Raina, Jugal Kishore Sharma and Ashok Koul will attend the North Zone meeting of the party leaders called by national president JP Nadda in New Delhi on July 7.
PTI adds from New Delhi: The BJP today named Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Sunil Jakhar and Babulal Marandi its president in Telangana, Punjab and Jharkhand respectively, effecting key organisational changes in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls and fuelling the speculation about a reshuffle in the Union Cabinet.
In a statement, the party also announced former Union Minister D Purandeswari as its new Andhra Pradesh president and brought in OBC leader Etela Rajender as its Election Management Committee chairperson in Telangana where Assembly polls are due later this year.
Sources said there is a possibility of Kumar being inducted as a Minister in the Central Government in a reshuffle in the coming days, with Reddy likely to quit to take up his new assignment.
The development highlights the BJP’s emphasis on setting its house in order in Telangana where many relatively new but powerful entrants to the party were against the leadership of Bandi Sanjay Kumar, a combative ideologue liked by the party’s Central leaders but who is seen to have failed in taking along others, especially former Congress and ruling BRS functionaries who joined in large numbers in recent years.
With the Congress seeking to rally back to reclaim some of its lost ground in the southern State, the BJP is making a determined push to be the main challenger to the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and is working overtime to augment its ranks by persuading local satraps of other parties to switch over.
By elevating Rajender, an influential regional leader, and removing Kumar, the party has sent a positive signal to those looking for greener pastures in the State’s triangular politics.
Among other changes, Jakhar, a former Punjab Congress president and a much-liked leader, replaces Ashwani Sharma while Marandi comes in the place of Deepak Prakash.
The changes suggest that the BJP has put its faith in the tribal leader Marandi, a former Chief Minister, to take on the rival alliance headed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, also a tribal.
The rejig is significant in the primacy given to leaders who have joined the BJP from other parties. Jakhar and Rajender left the Congress and the BRS respectively to join the BJP. Purandeswari was in the Congress and a Minister in the UPA Government.
With the BJP not being traditionally strong in Telangana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, its projection of these relative outsiders is unlikely to draw much opposition from its cadres and can help its expansion exercise, sources said.
The development will further fuel the speculation about a Cabinet rejig, with the upcoming Assembly polls in States like Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh likely to be a factor besides the BJP’s bid to give allies more representation.
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