RANCHI: Decks have been cleared for BJP working president J P Nadda to take over the reins of the party in a few days.
Having worked closely with BJP chief Amit Shah for around six months, Nadda has a clear task on hand to infuse fresh energy into the party ranks, which is showing signs of fatigue on the back of excessive electioneering in recent years.
The BJP is likely to hold a special session of the national council this month to elect the party chief. Nadda is tipped to be the sole nominee in the fray for the top post.Post-election, Nadda will face an uphill task to wrest power from Aam Admi Party in Delhi with the city party unit remaining faction-ridden.
Unlike Shah, who took charge of the BJP in 2015 and led the party on a winning spree, wresting power in states ruled by the Opposition, Nadda’s road ahead is likely to be difficult.
He will need to work with the chief ministers in BJP-ruled states beat anti-incumbency, which is fast becoming visible in the face of the economic slowdown.
Insiders in the BJP admit that the slowdown is blunting the party’s emotional and nationalistic planks, which was seen in the just concluded Jharkhand Assembly elections where the Opposition drowned the saffron boat in the face of local issues gaining prominence in the electoral discourse.
The 2019 Lok Sabha verdict had suggested the emergence of a BJP capable of overshadowing its allies so much so that many had bet it could form a government on its own in Maharashtra. But the Jharkhand verdict immediately put to rest such suggestions.
Post-Election analysis showed that the parting of ways by its ally, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), was the sole reason for the party losing power.
“Not just working with allies, but the BJP will have to bring back all those leaders who have drifted away in the past to shore up leadership capabilities across electorally significant castes and communities,” said a senior BJP functionary.
Besides, Nadda will also have to work in close partnership with Shah for a better party and government coordination.