Lok Sabha elections: Netas eye BJP president’s post

New Delhi: Even before the last two phases of Lok Sabha elections are over, there are signs that lobbying has already begun in the upbeat BJP camp for the post of party president amid growing speculation that the incumbent, Amit Shah, could be given a key portfolio in the next Central government.

Results of Lok Sabha polls will be declared on May 23 but the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Shah, have repeatedly expressed confidence of the BJP-led NDA retaining power. The Opposition camp is equally confident of a non-NDA government coming to power.

While talk of Mr Shah’s possible elevation to the Union Cabinet post-victory grows louder, source said, the RSS may not want Mr Shah to give up the top post in the party which, during his tenure, became the “world’s largest political party” and till last year was ruling 19 states.

Sources said that the RSS, the big brother of the Sangh Parivar, is in favour of Mr Shah’s continuance no matter what the 2019 Lok Sabha election results are.
However, if the BJP retains power at the Centre, a final call on this issue will be taken by the top brass of both the RSS and the saffron party.

Nonetheless, lobbying has begun for the top BJP post and aspirants have been seeking appointments with senior RSS leaders. Some leaders, sources said, are also approaching senior RSS functionaries to put in a word for them before RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and his second-in-command Bhaiyyaji Joshi.

Mr Shah became the BJP chief in July 2014 after Rajnath Singh, who was holding the post till then, was given the home portfolio in the Narendra Modi government.

Mr Shah completed Mr Singh’s remaining three-year term as the BJP chief and in January 2016  got elected for his first full three-year term. Just before the end of his three-year term, the party extended his term in view of the general elections.

Brimming with confidence, the BJP camp is abuzz with rumours that the swearing-in ceremony of the next government under Mr Modi’s leadership could take place by the end of this month itself, probably on May 26.