Anurag Thakur ‘strong contender’ for BJP chief’s post

A serious hunt continues for zeroing in on the new national BJP president to replace JP Nadda who has completed his tenure but is overseeing poll strategies for the coming Assembly elections, though the parliamentary board has not formally extended his term.

Political observers say Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah may have the maximum say in the finalisation of the name of the incumbent, though the RSS top brass’s approval is also mandatory in this regard.

Experts say besides Anurag Thakur, there are five senior leaders who are contenders for this post, including BL Santosh, Om Thakur, Vinod Tawde, Devender Fadnavis and Sunil Bansal.

5 other senior leaders in race

Besides Anurag, there are five senior leaders who are contenders for the national president's post, including BL Santosh, Om Thakur, Vinod Tawde, Devender Fadnavis and Sunil Bansal

Against this backdrop, if Anurag is picked up, then Himachal Pradesh will create a sort of history as two successive national presidents will hail from the hilly state. Factors going in favour of Anurag include his successful handling of the youth affairs and sports as well as information and broadcasting ministries during two terms of Modi. Second, he enjoys the confidence of Modi and Shah, which is mandatory to get responsibility either in the government or the party set-up.

As a fiery orator, while speaking in Parliament, Anurag is second to none, which has earned him the silent appreciation of the PM. The state has Nadda as Cabinet Minister, hence chances of inducting another minister from a small state seem remote.

Finally, Anurag has the ability to take on the Opposition in debates etc in and outside Parliament. Anurag’s hard-hitting rebuttal of the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on caste census was endorsed by Modi, who mentioned it on X.

Political observers say the BJP parliamentary board has not formally extended the term of Nadda, but his continuation shows his relevance and rationale as he has vast experience of handling important national issues. Amidst reports of the BJP top leaders making efforts to bridge the gap between the organisation and the RSS, the quest for a new incumbent has started and the final decision may have the stamp of the RSS top brass.

—The writer is a political analyst and columnist based in Shimla