NEW DELHI: Heads of several ‘ineffective’ and ‘inactive’ senior BJP office-bearers may roll in a major reshuffle after May 23 as state unit chief Manoj Tiwari seeks to strengthen the organisational setup for next year’s Delhi polls. These office-bearers were found to be not up to the mark during the poll campaign as per the reports of independent observers and coordinators appointed by the Central leadership, said a top party functionary.
“Tiwari is seeking a strong team which can propel the party in the Assembly elections. So he has planned a reshuffle soon after the Lok Sabha election results. The trigger for restructuring the local unit is the inputs received from the central leadership pertaining to the performance of party leaders in the recently concluded campaign,” said the Delhi BJP leader. It is learnt that the BJP deployed independent observers and coordinators to facilitate the party candidates in electioneering. These observers also sent a ground report daily to the top leadership.
“The findings of independent individuals engaged by the party were forwarded to the state unit, which points out that several key senior office-bearers were missing in action during the elections,” said a Delhi BJP leader.He added that the party leadership was particularly upset with those leaders who were seen at the residence of rival leaders during electioneering. “They were inactive and found working against the interest of the party during the Lok Sabha polls in the national capital. Several of them are likely to face the music as Tiwari has planned ‘punitive’ action against these ‘errant’ party functionaries after the results.”
According to the party leaders, with less than a year left for the Assembly elections, the state leadership’s move for restructuring the organisation clearly suggests that Tiwari does not want to take a chance. To maintain the momentum received in the parliamentary elections, he may introduce new faces in his team, informed a senior Delhi BJP leader.
“Gross misconduct and glaring mismanagement were prevailing, which was visible during the election campaign in public meetings of several senior leaders and Union ministers such as Sushma Swaraj, who had come to East Delhi for Gautam Gambhir, and Giriraj Singh, who was in South Delhi for Ramesh Bidhuri,” said another party leader. “Hence, the party is also mulling reorganising departments and cells for better coordination and to achieve the desired targets and positive publicity in the coming months.”