NAGPUR: Suresh (Bhaiyyaji) Joshi was on Saturday re-elected as the sarkaryavah (general secretary) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh by the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making and policy formulation body of the organisation, at its annual meeting in Nagpur. He will hold the post for three more years.
Manmohan Vaidya, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh (communication in-charge), made the announcement at a press conference outside the RSS’s Smriti Mandir.
Ashok Sowani, central India sanghachalak of the RSS, was the election officer (for the election of general secretary). Jayant Bhadesia, western region sanghchalak, referred to the achievements (of the RSS) during Bhaiyyaji Joshi's tenure and proposed his name for re-election.
“Kanpur-based sanghchalak Virendra Parakramaditya seconded this proposal. As there was no other name proposed, Bhaiyyaji Joshi was unanimously elected as the sarkaryavah for the next three years,” Mr. Vaidya said.
The election -- held once in three years here in the Pratinidhi Sabha -- came in the wake of strong buzz that joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale would replace Mr. Joshi. What added to the buzz was the fact that Mr. Joshi was not keeping well in recent years and had undergone surgery on the knees. However, a Sangh insider told The Hindu that his health had improved recently.
The election of the RSS general secretary takes place with the resignation of the general secretary and the appointment of an election agent. The election involves a delegate proposing a name and another delegate endorsing it. If no other name is proposed, the person is declared elected. However, this “election” is in effect a formality, as no second name is ever proposed. This means that the “elected” general secretary of the Sangh is always a consensus candidate.
