RANCHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Gajendra Singh Patel, a tribal leader from Madhya Pradesh and newly appointed national general secretary, as its Jharkhand in-charge, signalling an organisational focus on tribal outreach in the state.
BJP national president Nitin Nabin announced the appointment of new state in-charges and co-in-charges on Wednesday. Patel will be assisted in Jharkhand by Saurabh Singh and Nivedita Singh as co-in-charges.
Patel’s appointment comes against the backdrop of the BJP’s recent electoral performance in Jharkhand’s tribal constituencies. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP lost all five Scheduled Tribe-reserved parliamentary seats in the state, with the JMM winning three and the Congress two.
Notably, Jharkhand has 28 Assembly constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes, making tribal issues a significant component of the state’s electoral landscape. The JMM has traditionally maintained a strong support base among tribal voters, with its politics rooted in the legacy of Shibu Soren and, subsequently, Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
The party’s challenges in the tribal belt were particularly evident in the 2024 elections. Election analyses following the polls highlighted the BJP’s performance in the state’s 28 Scheduled Tribe-reserved Assembly constituencies, where the JMM-led alliance retained a strong position among tribal voters.
Against this backdrop, the appointment of a tribal leader from another state as the BJP’s Jharkhand in-charge gives Patel a role extending beyond routine organisational coordination.
A two-term Lok Sabha member from Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, Patel was appointed BJP national general secretary in August. He has also held organisational responsibilities in the party’s Scheduled Tribe Morcha.
Patel’s new assignment gives him responsibility for the BJP’s organisation in a state where issues related to land, tribal identity, culture and development have a prominent place in political discourse.
Patel was elected from the Khargone (ST) Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 and retained the seat in 2024. His parliamentary profile lists him as an agriculturist with BA and LLB degrees.
His interventions in Parliament have included issues related to rail connectivity, infrastructure, healthcare, education, agriculture and development in the Khargone-Barwani region.