In a region known for Dravidian politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday announced the appointment of Naraparaju Ramchander Rao, a Brahmin face, as the president of its Telangana unit. The appointment has been seen by many as bold -- one guided by the need to contain factionalism in its state unit.
According to the BJP, the appointment of Rao (66), which came a day ahead of the scheduled election on Tuesday, was through consensus. A leader who rose through the ranks from the BJP, Rao is learnt to have the unanimous backing of the Sangh as well as the BJP leadership.
While Rao remained the only leader to file his nomination -- BJP usually chooses state presidents by consensus and leaders are elected unopposed -- the former Telangana MLC's appointment triggered the resignation of firebrand Hindutva leader and MLA T Raja Singh from the BJP after his own candidature was rejected.
Singh later said that his resignation was a reflection of the "pain and frustration of lakhs of BJP karyakartas and supporters who feel sidelined and unheard".
The days leading to the appointment also saw Eatala Rajender emerge as a frontrunner. However, his run was cut short due to presumed opposition from the Bandi Sanjay faction and his past association with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
Yet, the BJP sees strong reason to believe that it made the correct choice in appointing Rao as the state unit president. An advocate by profession who has maintained a low profile in the party's state organisation which is riven with factionalism, Rao's appointment is being seen as a balancing act by the BJP as well as a measure to reward old organisation hands.
The appointment of an upper caste leader as the state unit president also appears to be strategic. Rao's tenure will last three years and is set to end six months ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled to be held in the state in 2029.
The timing of the appointment is crucial as it will allow the BJP adequate time to appoint a leader from a backward community as the state president ahead of the elections.
As the president of the state unit, where the BJP's influence and presence is far more pronounced than neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Rao has his task cut out. As state president, Rao will need to balance and unite all rival factions, including those loyal to Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay, while maintaining his own relevance in a state where the BJP is neither in power nor the main opposition party.
Rao succeeds Bandi Sanjay at the position of a full-time president. Bandi Sanjay is credited as among the most successful state presidents of the BJP before he was inducted into the central Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following his shift to the Cabinet, the BJP appointed Union minister G Kishan Reddy the interim responsibility of handling state affairs.
Rao's appointment also brings the BJP a step closer to get a national president, an appointment which has been delayed by over a year.
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