BJP May Select Dalit, Younger Leader As Party President To Counter Opposition; Modi, Shah And RSS Backing Important: Report

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is focusing on its ongoing internal organisation elections, ultimately culminating in the appointment of a new party leader by the end of February next year.

At present, elections for booth, district, and division presidents are being held by the state units. Following this, the central leadership is anticipated to select new state presidents.

A minimum of half of states are likely to see new heads by 15 January. Subsequently, the BJP will initiate the procedure to elect a new president to replace Jagat Prakash Nadda.

Undeniably, the new president's selection will bear the mark of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the endorsement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, maintaining the current setup.

However, with the increasing involvement of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as was seen in Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections, RSS backing and a robust organisational background are also necessary.

Sources told Indian Express that in addition to maintaining alignment between Modi-Shah and RSS regarding their selection, the BJP leadership will also consider the caste factor when choosing the new BJP chief.

Given that Nadda is a Brahmin and Modi belongs to the Other Backward Community (OBC), and considering B R Ambedkar's current prominence, the BJP might opt for a Dalit representative, according to the sources.

Under the leadership of a Dalit, Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress has been crafting an argument that the BJP is against Dalits, a strategy that has proven effective in the Lok Sabha elections.

Following the controversy in Parliament regarding Shah's comments on Ambedkar, appointing a Dalit leader could be the most efficient method for the BJP to quiet the Opposition.

Leaders have acknowledged that the selection pool is restricted in terms of Dalit leaders who have a robust organisational foundation and the support of RSS.

The leading candidates in this context could be Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, party general secretary Dushyant Gautam, and Uttar Pradesh minister Baby Rani Maurya.

"Going by Modi ji's past choices, he or she could be a low-profile leader and a confidant. Still, they should be a leader who can implement the ideas and programmes of the top leadership," a BJP leader said.

Age will also play a significant role, especially considering the younger leaders emerging in the Opposition, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the Congress; Akhilesh Yadav from the Samajwadi Party; Abhishek Banerjee from the Trinamool Congress; and Tejashwi Yadav from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The current leadership of the BJP has been criticised for not fostering a new generation of leaders, and appointing a young party chief could serve as a rectifying measure.

Thus far, potential candidates for the position that have been speculated include Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Bhupender Yadav, Dharmendra Pradhan, and senior leader Vinod Tawde.