Big push for OBC, tribal leaders in Chhattisgarh BJP revamp

The BJP’s move has been seen as an attempt to rebrand it from being known as an upper caste party to a party of the downtrodden

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh has chosen a mix of young and old faces from tribal and other backward classes to take on the ruling Congress in the 2023 assembly elections, a move that has been seen as an attempt to rebrand it from being known as an upper caste party to a party of the downtrodden.

The BJP last week announced a 54-member state organisation committee for Chhattisgarh. (Representative Image)

Senior BJP leaders said the strategy is to slowly wean out the older faces like former chief minister Raman Singh and his arch rival and former minister Brijmohan Agrawal and build a party leadership for the next 10-15 years.

The Congress under the leadership of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel had ended Raman Singh’s 15-year rule in 2018 with two-thirds majority in the state assembly.

The BJP last week announced a 54-member state organisation committee having eight vice-presidents and four general secretaries. Of the vice-presidents, except Udheshwari Paikra, who is from Balrampur (North Chhattisgarh), all are from the plains.

Among the four young general secretaries, former Chhattisgarh Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) president, Vijay Sharma, and former IAS officer, OP Choudhary, are the prominent new young faces. Third general secretary is Kedar Kashyap, son of Baliram Kashyap, the tallest BJP leader of Bastar.

A senior BJP leader said replacing former speaker, Gaurishnkar Agrawal, with Nadan Jain as treasurer shows the state BJP is opting for new faces. “One can see younger leaders have got prominent positions showing a generational shift,” he said.

However, there is some resentment in the party as most leaders accommodated in the body are from Chhattisgarh plains and there are only a few from the north and tribal dominated south Chhattisgarh. “The party will deal with this regional imbalance soon. Choudhary and Kashyap are young and capable leaders,” said a senior BJP OBC leader.

Party leaders said the revamp was done after consulting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and grassroot leaders. “Very few state leaders were consulted. The aim was to develop a leadership for the next 10-15 years,” said a third BJP leader aware of the developments.

Political commentators said the changes in the BJP reflect the demographic change in Chhattisgarh.

“In 2018, when the assembly election results were out in three states, Amit Shah said the BJP actually lost in Chhattisgarh. The state has 90% population of SC, ST, OBC and changes in the BJP reflects true demography. However, it will be a challenge for the party to overcome the clout of upper caste leaders to ensure good results,” said Sudeip Shrivastva, a political commentator.

The BJP in Chhattisgarh is said to have three major factions. One led by Raman Singh, a Thakur, the other by former agriculture minister Brijmohan Agrawal, a Vaishya, and one by Saroj Pandey, a Brahmin.

“Most of the leaders who were holding important positions for the last 10 years were removed. This is a welcome sign. I know some leaders are not happy but for the party the decision is final,” said a senior leader of one of these factions.

Party leaders also said that though Raman Singh was consulted but his suggestions were not taken. “He was pushing for one of his close ones for a post but the party high command ignored it,” said a BJP leader who was among the office-bearers appointed.

Another leader, who was removed from the party position, said only the caste factor was kept in mind. “Not a single appointment was made on the basis of work done. You will see that the Congress has only Baba (referring to TS Singhdeo who is the political opponent of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel) but the BJP will witness several ‘Babas’ in the coming months,” said the leader.

According to commentators, new BJP president, Arun Sao, will be playing an important role in managing the party leaders. Sao, an OBC, was appointed a month ago replacing tribal leader Vishnu Deo Sai.

“Sao will play an important role in striking a balance between old and new leaders,” said Harsh Dubey, a political commentator based in Raipur.

Chaudhary, a newly appointed general secretary, said there was no factionalism in the party.

“We are all united to fight the Congress party in the upcoming elections. We are now focusing on the strategy as the Congress government has done nothing for the people of the state and is fooling the people. The BJP has an ideological base hence there is no faction within the party,” said Chaudhary.

Chhattisgarh Congress leaders said the state BJP is in the worst phase and they need a “complete surgery.”

“After these appointments, more factions are included in the party. Earlier there were three major factions but now two-three more are added,” said Congress spokesperson RP Singh.