The ongoing deadlock between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over the selection of the next BJP national president has left the party's top leadership in a state of flux. Despite the extension of JP Nadda’s term until June 2024 to oversee the Lok Sabha elections, no successor has been named, and the state-level organizational appointments remain incomplete. The impasse is expected to dominate discussions at the upcoming Akhil Bharatiya Prant Pracharak Baithak, scheduled from July 4 to 6 in Delhi, where top RSS leaders including Mohan Bhagwat and Dattatreya Hosabale will be present.
Sources suggest the RSS has insisted on a leader who emphasizes organizational strength over political optics. They’ve also recommended that the new appointment be followed by a broader government and party overhaul. Meanwhile, BJP leadership is cautious about completing internal elections in 19 states mandatory before electing a national president with only 14 states having done so thus far. Prominent BJP figures like Kiren Rijiju, Harsh Malhotra, and Ravi Shankar Prasad have been appointed as election officers for the remaining states.
Caste dynamics further complicate the situation in several key states. In Uttar Pradesh, OBC and Dalit leaders such as Dharmpal Singh, BL Verma, and Ram Shankar Katheria are under consideration, with input being sought from senior leaders like Rajnath Singh and CM Yogi Adityanath. In Karnataka, former CM BS Yediyurappa is lobbying for his son BY Vijayendra, though some leaders are pushing for Sunil Kumar or C T Ravi instead.
Maharashtra’s Ravindra Chavan, a Maratha, is expected to be elevated due to his ties with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. In Bengal, the leadership remains undecided between incumbent Sukanta Majumdar, Shamik Bhattacharya, Suvendu Adhikari, and potential woman candidates like Locket Chatterjee.
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are also navigating sensitive caste equations, balancing OBC, SC, and ST considerations with political strategy. Leaders like Gajendra Patel, Lal Singh Arya, Devusinh Chauhan, and Janak Patel are among those in the mix. Until consensus is reached, both state and national BJP leadership remain in limbo.
