BHOPAL: With general elections round the corner, the BJP has started its search for new state in-charge in
Madhya Pradesh after the appointment of present state in-charge,
Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, as president of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Sources in BJP said that Omprakash Mathur, in-charge of Uttar Pradesh and
Bhupendra Yadav, in-charge of
Bihar are the front-runners for the coveted position.
Sahasrabuddhe was appointed in 2014 as state in-charge of Madhya Pradesh when BJP president
Amit Shah formed his new team. He is also a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra and vice-president of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini which is South Asia's only training and research academy for elected representatives and voluntary social workers.
The ICCR is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of External Affairs and Sahasrabuddhe is most likely to get a status of minister of state (MoS). The ICCR's mandate is to actively participate in formulation and implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India's external cultural relations and to promote cultural exchanges with other countries and people. With such an important responsibility, it would be difficult for Sahasrabuddhe to spare time for organisational work in MP, ahead of crucial assembly elections.
"I have been appointed to ICCR but, I would be working for the party organisation till I am instructed. I have not received any further instruction on my continuing as state in-charge so, I am working", Sahasrabuddhe told TOI over phone.
Sources in BJP said that alarmed by the internal differences that cropped up recently between state leaders, the BJP would appoint a senior leader who could get down to the nitty-gritty of party organisation in Madhya Pradesh. At present, BJP has four general secretaries who have the responsibility of state in-charge and can aptly handle party affairs in MP.
Anil Jain has the charge of Haryana, Omprakash Mathur of UP, Bhupendra Yadav of Bihar and Arun Singh of Odisa. Of these, O P Mathur had worked in Madhya Pradesh between 2002 and 2008. Mathur, a trusted lieutenant of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, is a member of Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. He was a pracharak with the RSS and later appointed as general secretary-in charge of the Gujarat and recently, UP.
BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav is also a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan since April 2012. He was also the in-charge of Bihar state and election management department of BJP and a counsel for the Indian government before Liberhan Commission. The remaining two leaders Anil Jain and Arun Singh, both close confident of Amit Shah, were entrusted with the party affairs in New Delhi besides charge of Haryana and Odisha respectively.
