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Himachal politics: Reshuffle in BJP sparks discontent in run-up to 2024 LS elections
Party may project formidable organisational front, but beneath the surface, there are factions that trace their origin to 2017 assembly elections
As the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a recent organisational reset by state unit head Rajeev Bindal has reignited a rift in the saffron party.
Bindal took over the reins of the state BJP for the second time in April after the party lost to the Congress in December 2022. The BJP won 25 seats in the 68-member assembly, securing 43.5% of the votes, while the Congress bagged 40 seats and got 43.9% of the votes.
Bindal was appointed state party president while the Shimla Municipal Corporation elections were being conducted. The BJP managed to win only nine seats, securing 40.58% votes, while the Congress emerged victorious with 24 seats, securing 51.77% votes. The CPI(M) won one seat with 7.65% votes.
Old guard out, new team in
Bindal recently changed all presidents of the 17 organisational district units and announced his 41-member team. Many big guns of the party were ignored, leaving their supporters disgruntled. Naina Devi MLA Randhir Sharma, who had been a capable chief spokesperson, and former ministers Rakesh Pathania, Ravinder Ravi, Ramesh Dhawala, Trilok Jamwal and Rakesh Jamwal were among those left out of the BJP team.
Critics in the party said that the organisation has failed to learn from its defeat in the assembly elections. They feared that appointing leaders against the wishes of party workers might hamper the BJP’s prospects in the general election.
Also read: Rift in Himachal Congress, Pratibha for panel to coordinate between party, govt
Former Rajya Sabha member Kripal Parmar, who rebelled during the last assembly election, expressed concern about the situation within the BJP. He criticised the selection process, alleging that the party’s leadership was attempting to consolidate power within a specific group. Parmar pointed out that regional and caste representation had been ignored in the appointments, exacerbating internal tensions. Parmar highlighted the lack of changes in the team, citing that the same group that contributed to the BJP’s loss in the by-election and assembly elections has been retained. He criticised the absence of any meaningful improvement in the organisational reshuffle and accused it of being driven by personal vendetta.
“There is no sanctity of anonymous letters and messages on social media, rather it vitiates the political atmosphere. A team has been constituted to strengthen the party. Parmar may say anything about the party but he is not a member. If he was so loyal, why did he rebel? Bindal is known for his political acumen. It’s obvious, the party cannot fulfil everyone’s aspirations,” he said.
In the present scenario, all three general secretaries contested the elections, he said, while taking a dig at the removal of two general secretaries from the executive and retention of defeated leader Trilok Kapoor.
Factions behind united front
Political analyst Ramesh Chauhan said that the BJP leadership in the state may project a formidable organisational front, but beneath the surface, there are factions. “These factions include staunch supporters of figures, such as (party national president JP) Nadda, Union minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, former chief ministers Jai Ram Thakur and Shanta Kumar. The emergence of a leadership struggle within the state BJP can be traced back to the defeat of two-time former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in the 2017 assembly elections,” he said.
Teams for parliamentary constituencies
Meanwhile, Bindal has announced the appointment of parliamentary constituency in-charge and co-in-charge for several regions. Vipin Singh Parmar, a former speaker and MLA, has been designated in-charge for the Kangra parliamentary constituency. Assisting him in his responsibilities will be Dr Rajeev Bhardwaj, the state vice-president, appointed as the co-incharge.
The Hamirpur parliamentary constituency will be overseen by Vikram Thakur, a former minister, and Sumit Sharma, a state secretary, will assist him.
For Mandi parliamentary constituency, Govind Thakur, a former minister and state vice-president, will be in-charge. Vinod Kumar, an MLA and state secretary, is the co-in-charge.
In the Shimla parliamentary constituency, Sukhram Chaudhary, a former minister and MLA, has been made the in-charge. Sanjay Sood, a former state treasurer, has been designated co-incharge.
