- As you are aware, the Bharatiya Janata Party never shies away from projecting itself as a political establishment quite different from others. It’s no secret how the BJP perpetually attempts to blow its own trumpet by bombastically highlighting about firmness with which nepotism and family politics are dissuaded within the party. Understandably, there is no dearth of condescension from the BJP while deriding the Grand Old Party for sticking with the Nehru-Gandhi family even as the party hurtles from one setback after another at the hustings. Undeniably, the close observers of the political churnings in the country would comprehend there is some truth to what the BJP often mentions at every given opportunity and platform.
PC: PTI
- Of course, there is a difference in the way top leadership functions in both the national parties. If the Congress is synonymous with the Gandhi family’s indelible association despite embarrassing reversals, the BJP’s penchant for identifying local leaders with potential and entrusting them with responsibilities to shoulder the party’s fortunes is well documented. Scores of leaders from the grassroots rank having risen to the upper echelons of leadership groups are not uncommon in the BJP hierarchy. Why look far than Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself who rose to the topmost executive position of the country having started his political journey from the grassroots levels.
- In comparison, Congress is still struggling to look beyond Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi to guide the party’s fortunes despite successive poll reversals. Another distinctive feature of the BJP is the way change of leadership is affected at the state levels to preempt anti-incumbency as well as negative publicity emanating from less than effective administration coming in the way of its election plans wherever it is running the government. Recently, a new chief minister was sworn in in Tripura replacing the incumbent leader just a year before the assembly election. Such moves are straight out of a playbook that has now become customary in BJP, as it has earlier switched the chief ministerial faces in Uttarakhand, Karnataka, and Gujarat to improve its electoral prospects.
PC: BusinessToday.In
- If you recollect, the entire cabinet including the chief minister was changed in Gujarat without any murmurs of dissent coming out in the open. Don’t be surprised if the BJP high command undertakes a complete overhaul of the Karnataka cabinet too as the state is scheduled to go to polls early next year. However, a similar exercise was undertaken by the Congress in Punjab recently came a cropper as the incumbent government lost out to Aam Aadmi Party by a big margin. Make no mistake, other parties would envy such an authoritative central command for being decisive and affirmative whilst acting on the matter. Mind you, the sole criterion driving the BJP top leadership to initiate decisive moves is the winnability and good governance factors.
- The formidable election machinery of the BJP needs no introduction as it keeps chugging along based on clarity of thought, focus, determined approach, intent, and plans ably led by the top leadership group. Yes, irrespective of reputation and past achievements coming in the way of achieving stated objective even if it calls for a change of leadership at state levels.
