After a long wait of 3 years, BJP President JP Nadda has finally reconstituted the party’s parliamentary board and the central election committee. Names of BJP’s parliamentary board members are a big surprise not just for the public but also for the party leaders. Some new faces have been included in the parliamentary board, while the names of some Stalwart leaders are missing.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and union minister Nitin Gadkari have been removed from the list of members of the parliamentary board. Following are the members of the parliamentary board: JP Nadda (chairman), Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, BS Yeddyurappa, Sarbananda Sonowal, K Laxman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Sudha Yadav, Satyanarayan Jatiya and BL Santosh (secretary).
JP Nadda has also announced the new members of the party’s 15-membered central election committee. This committee is also extremely significant within the party as candidates of Loksabha, Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad are given final approval from this committee. Its newly appointed members are JP Nadda, Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, BS Yeddyurappa, Sarbananda Sonowal, K Laxman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Sudha Yadav, Satyanarayan Jatiya, Bhupendra Yadav, Devendra Fadnavis, Om Mathur, BL Santosh and Vanathi Srinivas. Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chauhan haven’t been included in this Committee too.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan did not find a place in the recent reshuffle of the parliamentary board, the apex organizational committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This incident came as a shock for everyone within and outside the party. However, board has now been made, socially and regionally more representative. For the 2024 Election, party is eyeing the votes of backward classes and this reshuffle in the Apex Body is signalling its strategy. I will try to explain the inclusion of various leaders as it is extremely significant, but With Gadkari & Shivraj getting removed, exclusion shall be the talking point.
Possible Reason behind Exclusion of Gadkari & Shivraj
Let’s start with Gadkari. Gadkari is the only leader for whom BJP was forced to change BJP’s constitution upon Sangh’s insistence to retain him as BJP president and today He is not even a part of the Party’s Top 2 committees. In place of Gadkari, Devendra Fadnavis has been included through the Maharashtra quota. Both hail from Vidarbha and are close to Sangh. Gadkari has emerged as an “independent leader” in the Modi cabinet. The party line never binds his statements & he always speaks whatever he wants to, without considering party line.
I Remember when a senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh told me last year that, despite being the most outspoken minister in the Union Cabinet, Gadkari does not take the path of confrontation and works out conciliation in every matter. Due to this, he attracts the attention of not only Narendra Modi. By removing Gadkari from the apex body, the central leadership has given a big message that the “Party is focused on ideology rather than the Individual. Leadership will do whatever is necessary for its expansion.” This decision has made it clear that the current BJP leadership is being allowed a free hand even by the RSS. Devendra Fadnavis has been rewarded for showing loyalty towards the party and accepting “demotion” in the form of Deputy CM’s Post. There are speculations in political circles that Gadkari may not fight the 2024 election.
The next leader removed from these committees is CM of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chauhan. In 2013, Modi & Shivraj Singh Chouhan were together inducted into the Parliamentary Board. Assembly elections are to be held in MP in 2023. Shivraj is counted as a strong leader in BJP. Despite this, he has been shown the way out. One thing is crystal clear. This term is the final one for Shivraj Singh Chauhan as the CM of Madhya Pradesh. The party has long ago decided to hand the baton to next generation leadership in MP after the 2023 election. Shivraj is 63 & he’ll move to Delhi after the 2023 election & may get a berth in Modi cabinet. The reason given behind Shivraj’s exclusion is that leadership has decided that Chief Ministers should not be part of the board. This decision also went against Yogi Adityanath’s inclusion in the board, who was considered a sure shot entrant in both the committees. I infer from this that BJP leadership has communicated that Yogi is similar to all other BJP CMs regarding national level considerations and he is not at a higher pedal.
Inclusion of Leaders from Diverse Backgrounds
Iqbal Singh Lalpura, a former IPS officer, has been made a member of the board to expand the party’s base in Punjab. He is currently the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities.
Sarbananda Sonwal has also been included on the board as a representative from the North East. This entry is important amidst party’s plans to expand its base in the North Eastern states.
Sudha Yadav, who joined active politics after Narendra Modi’s advice in 1999, has also been named a member of the Board. Modi, the then in-charge of Haryana BJP, suggested the name of Sudha Yadav to be fielded against Congress Strongman Rao Indrajeet Singh. Sudha performed outstandingly and defeated Rao Indrajeet, emerging as the ‘Giant Killer.’ She is also seen as the successor of the late Sushma Swaraj Ji in the parliamentary board.
BS Yediyurappa, One of the founding members & stalwart BJP leader, has also been inducted into Parliamentary Board and the central election committee. His inclusion is also a setback for a Southern leader, who was the Scriptwriter behind Yeddi’s resignation last year. Although BJP has kept the undeclared rule of retirement at the age of 75, Yediyurappa has been considered an exception for 2nd time in a Row. His inclusion indicates that Bommai failed to establish himself as a Leader of the masses & Yediyurappa is still relevant in Karnataka Politics, given his influence among the Lingayats.
BIGGEST MESSAGE
Shahnawaz Hussain has also been dropped from BJP’s central committee & no other Muslim leader has been included in his place. Earlier, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi resigned from Modi Cabinet and even the Minority Ministry was handed over to Smriti Irani, a Non-Muslim. Apart from this, there is just 1 Muslim Governor throughout the Country. This shows that BJP has realized that Muslims don’t vote for the party and thus, Party won’t give them the representation.
