EDITORIAL
BJP has tried a balancing act between its karyakartas and MLAs
In a few days, the Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will get a new state president. The party’s central emissary is in Goa to seek a consensus among state leaders for incumbent Sadanand Shet Tanavade’s successor. Normally, the party ‘elects’ its leader by consensus. Nominating a person for state unit head is not as easy as one may think because there are many aspirants for the post. Considering the power and influence that comes with it, the post is most sought after in all political parties and, more so, when in the ruling. As for Tanavade, he has done a good job and enjoys a relationship with ministers and MLAs.
The party has been busy with organisational polls for over a month. So far, presidents for 37 assembly constituencies (mandals) have been elected. Selecting constituency-level presidents was not an easy task for party leaders. Some karyakartas have already voiced their sentiments over the selections in some constituencies.
Murmurs of resentment were bound to be there considering that the BJP has eight MLAs who joined it from the Congress more than two years ago. In July 2019, ten MLAs from the Congress were inducted into the BJP to fortify its strength in the state assembly. Besides, some former Independents and others too had embraced the BJP ahead of the past two assembly elections. In view of this, it was definitely difficult for the party managers to do a balancing act between the old karyakartas and the new MLAs (who had joined along with their workers). Surprisingly, it was stated that some names proposed for the mandal president posts were sent to Delhi for “approval.” It’s a “confluence” politically, wherein the BJP has more MLAs with Congress backgrounds. Hence, to avoid some backlash and, more importantly, ensure the smooth running of the government, sitting MLAs were reportedly given a chance to have their way.
Tanavade, however, denied the charge, saying the ‘mandal’ presidents were elected based on their eligibility and merit. A political analyst said that dilution of core values will be seen at the grassroots in some constituencies where the new mandal ‘captains’ are affiliated to the local MLA.
Just at a time when senior party leaders had managed to install ‘mandal’ heads with some difficulty in some constituencies, Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate spoke his heart out. Even MLAs like him, who have adapted well in the BJP, face issues depending upon the profile of their workers. He has called for efforts to step up the party’s outreach towards minority communities. Many other MLAs, including from the majority community, are facing the same issue in their constituencies. This is because a swing of a couple of thousand votes makes a big difference in the assembly elections.
The undercurrents in the party are slowly becoming visible with another former minister expressing disappointment over the Chief Minister’s “failure” to fulfill the assurance he gave a year ago of completing pending projects in his constituency. He must be feeling the pinch, as he was not only dropped from the cabinet, but some senior party leaders were promoting an alternative leader against him in his constituency. Intra-party politics appears high in the BJP too.
With the next assembly elections two years away, BJP needs a strong organisation. Much will depend on who they choose as the next state party president.
