BJP national president on Sunday appointed B.L. Santosh as national general secretary, organisation, in place of Ramlal who was repatriated to the RSS.
Santosh was one of the four joint general secretaries, organisation, and hails from Karnataka. Like Ramlal, he too had started as a pracharak and was loaned by the RSS to the BJP.
The appointment of Santosh to the key post signals the BJP’s and the Sangh’s efforts to spread wings and consolidate in the southern states. In the general election, Santosh was given charge of the southern states. For eight years he was state general secretary (organisation) in Karnataka before moving to Delhi in 2014.
Santosh is believed to have played a key role in denying a ticket to the widow of former union minister Ananath Kumar from Bangalore South seat and pushing for the younger Tejasvi Surya.