BJP plays ‘collective leadership’ card to fill cracks in state units

A party leader said that efforts are being made to keep the factions together

To patch cracks in state units that can derail the party’s electoral plans and to circumvent the contentious issue of leadership, the Bharatiya Janata Party has made collective leadership the driver of its election campaign.

In poll-bound states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, where there are multiple claimants for the top job, the central leadership has sidestepped the issue of picking faces for the elections by making room for several leaders in its outreach plans, even as it maintains that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his pro-people policies will be at the core of the election campaign. (File photo)

In poll-bound states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, where there are multiple claimants for the top job, the central leadership has sidestepped the issue of picking faces for the elections by making room for several leaders in its outreach plans, even as it maintains that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his pro-people policies will be at the core of the election campaign.

Referring to the intraparty differences that have been in the public eye in states such as Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, a party leader said that efforts are being made to keep the factions together.

“BJP workers are disciplined soldiers. But it is also true that leaders have ambitions and sometimes personal aspirations prevail,” the leader said, seeking anonymity. “The party has a strong mechanism to patch differences and ensure the whole unit fights as a cohesive team. It is for this reason that we have decided that under the leadership of Modi, the party’s campaign will be led by a collective leadership.”

In Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP will be contesting to retain power, there is ambiguity over whether chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan will be the face of the election, but more worrying for the central leadership are the differences in the state unit that have come to the fore.

A case in point being former union minister Uma Bharti’s scathing comments about having been overlooked for the Jan Ashirwad Yatras (public blessing marches) that were flagged off on Sunday by party president JP Nadda.

Although the party made amends and reached out to the upset leader, once considered a stalwart in the state, Bharti put out a comment on X (formerly Twitter) that she would not join the yatras. If Chauhan were to reach out to her for campaigning, she would consider that, Bharti said. She would not damage the party for being overlooked, Bharti said.

Earlier, there were reports about strained ties between Chauhan and state unit president VD Sharma.

A state leader admitted that there is a push from supporters of various regional leaders to pitch them as the face of election, but the central high command has decided to press ahead with the collective leadership gambit.

“When we say collective leadership, we do not mean that all the leaders who are aspiring for roles are being accommodated. It means representation of various castes, regions and demographics, which is why you will see not one or two, but a dozen leaders leading rallies, on posters and part of the election outreach,” the second leader said, declining to be named.

In Rajasthan, where the question of who will be the face of election in the state puts the central leadership in a bind, collective leadership has been used to quell the awkwardness. “There is a large support group that swears allegiance to (former chief minister) Vasundhara Raje, who is considered one of the tallest leaders of the BJP,” said the first leader. “However, the party has also set in motion a plan that allows generational shift, giving newer and younger leaders a chance to take centre stage, which means balancing the aspirations of the older and younger generation of leaders.”

The BJP is hopeful that it will be able to prevent differences from escalating, even though Raje, miffed at not being projected as the chief ministerial face, embarked on a dharmic yatra (religious march) ahead of the party’s parivartan yatra (march for change).

The central leadership has also urged the state unit to refrain from public attacks against colleagues. This came close on the heels of long-term legislator Kailash Meghwal setting off a flutter by accusing union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal of being corrupt. Even as the party downplayed the comments, it has issued a show-cause notice to Kailash Meghwal for his comments.

In Telangana, too, where there is no clarity on who will be the party’s face, the BJP has decided to conduct rallies with 12 leaders in charge. The state has been divided into three segments, and four leaders will lead the outreach in each of the segments.