Raje: In line of fire

New Delhi, July 4: After the flop, time for change and chop.

The BJP is planning to overhaul its organisational apparatus, beginning with a change in leadership in states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, and sources said the process could start next week.

They said the RSS exerted considerable pressure to initiate the transition process after the election debacle although central leaders — who have so far succeeded in maintaining status quo in the command structure — were reluctant to force changes in states immediately.

The Sangh’s views, the sources added, would be reflected in the new appointments although it has not suggested specific names.

For instance, the party may finally move away from the Vasundhara Raje era in Rajasthan. The RSS was not happy with Raje’s style of functioning when she was chief minister but the central leadership chose to blindly support her despite fierce rebellion in the state unit.

Even after the defeat in the state elections, the central leaders chose to stick with her and fought the Lok Sabha polls under her leadership. The BJP was routed with the Congress winning 20 of the 24 seats in the desert state.

The RSS has now asked the party leadership not to analyse Rajasthan affairs with a closed mind and to try and rebuild the faction-scarred organisational machinery with a long-term perspective.

Party insiders said there was a distinct possibility that a senior leader from the anti-Raje group would be selected to head the state unit. The names of Gulab Chand Kataria and Ghansyam Tiwari are under serious consideration.

The BJP, however, does not have such an easy solution to the Uttar Pradesh malady. State unit president Rampati Ram Tripathi has proved to be a disaster and the party has made up its mind to remove him, sources said.

The central leaders as well as the RSS are deeply worried about the state that sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha because of the party’s failure to exploit the disenchantment of voters with the Samajwadi Party and the BSP.

The BJP has a much stronger organisation in Uttar Pradesh than the Congress. But it was the Congress that reaped huge gains without much of an effort while the BJP was rejected despite the efforts of party president Rajnath Singh and key strategist Arun Jaitley.

The RSS is now laying stress on building a new local leadership in the state but the party has not been able to tap fresh resources. There is a minor section that prefers investment in Varun Gandhi but that idea has not found favour with the central leaders.

There is also a dilemma over caste as many in the party now advocate giving the reins of the important heartland state to a backward leader. But party insiders admit there is no new name in this category and the choice is limited to Vinay Katiyar and Santosh Gangwar.

Another logic says the BJP should not vacate the upper caste space for the Congress, which is relying heavily on Rahul Gandhi and state unit chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi, a Brahmin.

The puzzle is yet to be solved and might delay any change in this crucial state.