Road to 2024 | Pull vs push as top-heavy BJP tries to even out the weight

Road to 2024 - A weekly tracker, on BJP and Opposition

13 MARCH 2023 View in Browser

Dear Readers,   Until last year when asked about a chief ministerial face in a state election, or the fate of a sitting chief minister, BJP leaders would say: “The Parliamentary Board will decide.” But last week, when the BJP decided to continue with Manik Saha as the Tripura CM, there was no meeting of the apex decision-making body. Nor did it meet before the party took a decision to be part of the Conrad Sangma-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government in Meghalaya or when the party entered into post-poll talks with the TIPRA Motha, which in its debut polls took away a lion’s share of the tribal votes in Tripura.   In the BJP, the Parliamentary Board, representing its most senior leaders, takes all the major political decisions and picks the CMs. Party leaders say if physical meetings cannot be held, the consultation happens virtually.   The latest instance, of the Parliamentary Board keeping out of decisions after the Northeast results, shows the party’s desire to strengthen state units and leadership, sources said. “There is an attempt by the top leadership to make state units the centre of all decision-making at their level… This will help the emergence of different layers of leadership,” a leader said.     Continue reading Liz Mathew's column below

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