While there is often the allegation that the BJP is run by just two persons, it continuously proves that it is a well-knit organisation with effective delegation of powers to the appropriate levels. The buck may stop with the ‘two’, but everybody bears their share of responsibility. This is why matters such as election preparations, governance and policy making can continue on several fronts without clogging up decision making. It has been so often seen that, under the present leadership, intelligent processing of information has ensured that moves on the chessboard of politics are worked out well ahead of others.
The latest moves on the assembly elections in UP and Uttarakhand are yet another example of this. Faced with the anti-BJP sentiments among farmers of Western UP that could make inroads into its vote bank, the party is eyeing the strongholds of the other parties, while seeking to consolidate the non-dominant SC and OBC sub-castes that supported it in the previous elections. Whatever speculation there may be on the issue, the resignation of Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya needs to be seen in that light. As a woman politician who has been Mayor of Agra and was an office-bearer in the SC wing of the BJP and, later, a member of the National Commission for Women, she can play a significant role in the coming elections in UP. This is particularly significant as she belongs to the community that comprises the core of BSP Supremo Mayawati’s support base. With the fresh gravitas her gubernatorial stint has given her, she can influence this important section of voters in favour of her party. It would be a fitting riposte to BSP’s ongoing attempts to persuade the Brahmins. It is reported that Maurya might herself contest for a seat in the assembly.
Similarly, the teams that will lead the BJP state units in UP and Uttarakhand have been chosen with specific objectives in mind. They are sufficiently distant from local politics and can be non-partisan while making necessary recommendations. They have the clout necessary to not be intimidated. While the local state units can be expected to understand the nuances and score goals – the latest being the induction of independent legislator Pritam Singh Panwar, formerly of the UKD – the strategic inputs will be provided by the party in-charges to the High Command. It reflects the functioning of a well-oiled party machine. Compare that to the farce the Congress has played out during the still unresolved Sidhu controversy!
