POLITICS

Yogi, Fadnavis, Sarma and Annamalai: BJP’s iconic leaders in four corners of the country

By Vinod Kumar Shukla- 17 Dec 2024
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New Delhi (17.12.2024): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is well settled in the saddle with the string well within his command not only of the government but also of the BJP and more interestingly making the party ready to deal with future challenges. During "Atal-Advani era" too there were four powerful general secretaries managing party affairs – Pramod Mahajan, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Narendra Modi – but they were not as versatile as the leader of the present day. They have carved a niche for themselves in their respective regions by not only proving themselves to be a good leader in terms of crowd puller but also a good administrator and skilful organisational trailblazer. These leaders are Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai.
All four leaders have proved their worth for the party and live up to the expectation of the party leadership. They did what was unthinkable not only to their political rivals but within the saffron tribe as well. They are helping to increase footprints of saffron ideology besides delivering a good administration except in the case Annamalai who is yet to be tested. But he resigned his Indian Police Service job to enter into politics where he had proved his mettle.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath:
Entering the Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur in 1998 as one of the youngest MPs at the age of 26 without having any political legacy and remaining there till he took over as Chief Minister of the state on March 19, 2017 as he was credited with unprecedented victory of the BJP in the 2017 Assembly election when the saffron outfit managed to win 312 Assembly seats. His tough administrative measures and corruption-free governance have made him popular among masses and unapologetic Hindutva stand gave pan-India popularity. Though seats in 2022 Assembly elections have come down to 255 but winning two consecutive terms defying anti-incumbency was a miracle for any leader. He is in demand from every nook and cranny of the country during elections. Setback of 2024 Lok Sabha elections were corrected where performance the BJP was much below than the benchmark set by the party. But the way by-elections were contested, they showed the resolve of the UP CM by winning even Kundarki Assembly seat with 62 per cent Muslim population. So, the Monk CM appears to have learnt election winning tactics in state with one of the most complicated caste equations and most diverse geographical landscape. A new fire brand Hindutva icon aka Bulldozer Baba is born.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis:
When Devendra Fadanavis made this statement in State Assembly that Meri Lahro Ko Wapas Jate Dekh Kinare Ghar Mat Basa Lena, Mai Samundar Hoon Laut Ke Aunga, (Don’t build a house on the bank at receding waves, I am the ocean I will retreat) he was ridiculed on this by his opponents and even for decisions taken by senior colleagues which was humiliating for him but he swallowed them like bitter pills to prove himself again. Teaching of the RSS being part of the family tradition, Fadnavis who has become mayor of Nagpur at the age of 26, took oath of the office of the CM for the third time on December 5, 2024. This is the third consecutive term when the BJP emerged single largest party bin Maharashtra Assembly under his leadership. He was successful except the last Lok Sabha elections where Mahayuti was stopped at 17 Lok Sabha seat in 2024 elections.
He assessed mistakes of the party and advantage of the opposition, worked on it from Maratha reservation to OBC vote bank to keeping flocks of alliance together and intra-party rivalry at bay. Ignored the leaders who appears to have been sabotaging BJP victory and sought RSS help to deliver the common goal of winning Maharashtra elections. The most interesting aspect of the BJP’s victory is that his summersault has led Chanakya of Maharashtra politics gasping and finally biting the dust with worst ever performance in the state. But this is just a bivouac, he has a long way to go.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma:
Bharatiya Janata Party forming the government in Assam was something unbelievable and repeating the second consecutive term was like an impossible dream for the party but it was made a reality for two consecutive terms. The BJP formed the first government in Assam under Sarvanand Sonowal. As Convener of the Election Management Committee of the BJP for the upcoming Assembly Elections in the state in 2016, he played a very crucial role in the first win of the BJP in Assam. He joined the Sonowal government as cabinet but in 2021 Assembly elections got the post of CM. The transfer of power was very smooth despite the fact that there was a sitting CM. He used his political acumen and influence in other north-eastern states by turning them into NDA bastion. Courted controversies on many occasions for his views on madarsa education, and minority communities there. But he stood his ground and never retracted his ground despite criticism from opposition and media. He has been instrumental in making North-East an NDA bastion. Winning all Assembly seats in the recent by-elections suggests that he is still fully in command in Assam and North-East as he was being criticised for being mishandling Jharkhand polls. Victory for BJP in the state where Muslim population is around 34 per cent is nothing less than a miracle.
Tamil Nadu BJP President Kuppusamy Annamalai:
A former 2011-batch and Karnataka-cadre IPS officer Kuppusamy Annamalai had quit his job to join politics in his home state Tamil Nadu who earned the title 'Singham (Lion) of Karnataka Police' for his work. After six years in the service, he initially decided to step away from khaki uniform to focus on organic farming in his village in Karur district, Tamil Nadu.  Annamalai was groomed to be the CM candidate of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s party, which couldn't be made possible. Subsequently, on August 25, 2020, he joined the BJP. He was made state BJP president within 10 months of joining the party. He contested the Tamil Nadu state assembly election from the Aravakurichi constituency of Karur district backed by the BJP and was defeated by NR Elango, a leader of DMK. As the youngest president of the Tamil Nadu unit, the 39-year-old leader has taken the BJP flag and symbol to all 234 assembly constituencies in the state through his ‘En Mann, En Makkal’ yatra. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Annamalai contested from Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency. However, DMK candidate Ganapathy Rajkumar defeated him, who secured 447,608 votes while Rajkumar polled 565,428 votes. But he managed to increase overall vote share of the BJP in the state substantially giving hope to the party and leadership in the days to come. He is the Hindutva face of the BJP down south.
(By Vinod Kumar Shukla)

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