The BJP has named national executive member Arvind Menon as its Bengal co-minder, surprising many because he has testy ties with minder Kailash Vijayvargiya.
Menon, a former Madhya Pradesh general secretary (organisation) who was brought to Delhi in April 2016, is likely to visit Calcutta soon and meet state leaders as part of his mandate to prepare for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, said a source.
“But we don’t know how things will function as everyone knows about his differences with Kailashji,” said a source.
In BJP circles, it is common knowledge that Vijayvargiya, who had chief ministerial ambitions, had to leave the state due to incumbent Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Menon.
“The question is, how will they (Vijayvargiya and Menon) function as a team,” asked another source, calling the decision “baffling”.
BJP national general secretary Arun Singh on Wednesday issued a circular announcing Menon’s appointment as a co-minder, a post virtually empty after Sidharth Nath Singh became health minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet of Uttar Pradesh in 2017. The other co-minder, Suresh Pujari, has not been able to make his presence felt, said a source.
Menon, a Malayali, is believed to be a go-getter and known for his organisational skills. “Besides, he is fluent in Bengali and knows the state since his days as Yuva Morcha leader (when he used to visit Bengal regularly),” said a leader.
Menon is a former RSS pracharak. “As the Madhya Pradesh elections are nearing, Kailashji may get busy in his home state. That’s probably why Menonji has been brought in,” another BJP source said.
Mukul Roy, the erstwhile Trinamul Number Two, has been named convenor of the Lok Sabha poll management committee.
“Mukulda had successfully served as convenor of the panchayat election management committee (for the May polls) and so he has been rewarded with a bigger job this time,” a close aide of Roy in the BJP said.
The appointment of Roy — who is yet to find a firm footing in the BJP — left some happy as convenors generally do not contest polls. “Almost all state leaders want to be in the fray for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls… If anyone else was made convenor, he or she would have found it difficult to adjust to the role of a backroom player. Mukulda said he didn’t want to contest. So, the decision seems right,” said a source.