Change of guard in Delhi BJP likely
Notably, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari completed his three-year term in November last year.
New Delhi: After facing humiliating defeat in the Delhi Assembly polls, BJP’s city unit is likely to see complete overhaul in organisational structure after February 20.
A well placed source told this newspaper that the appointment of new state president, which is already due, is now imminent and it will take place after February 20 along with Jharkhand — where the party lost the polls in December — Haryana, and Maharashtra.
Notably, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari completed his three-year term in November last year.
A senior party leader said that the appointment of the new president in the Delhi unit is already due and after the humiliating defeat now it’s going to happen.
Mr Tiwari, a Bhojpuri superstar and singer, joined BJP in 2013 before the Delhi Assembly polls. In 2014, he successfully contested the Lok Sabha polls from Northeast Delhi and was appointed Delhi BJP president on November 30, 2016, after replacing Satish Upadhyay.
He had successfully led the party to a historic victory for the third consecutive time in the municipal polls held in April 2017 after defeating anti-incumbency of 10 years.
Mr Tiwari was appointed state president to encash his popularity among the Poorvanchali voters, which comprises over 35 per cent of the total electorate. Now, the party leadership believes that Mr Tiwari failed to emerge as the sole leader of a large chunk of Poorvanchali voters in the city.
However, according to senior BJP leaders, Mr Tiwari might be elevated to Union council of ministers or may be given a significant responsibility in the organisation at the national level.
“He is the prominent Poorvanchali face of the party. He has campaigned in several states in the last six years across the country, where the party had done well. Under his leadership, the party had retained three corporations in 2017 and also seven Lok Sabha seats in the elections held last year,” a senior BJP leader added.
With the defeat of BJP, there was speculation doing the rounds that Mr Tiwari would resign from his post after taking responsibility. “It’s an internal matter of the party,” said Mr Tiwari over speculation of his resignation during a press conference.