BJ Panda rises in BJP ranks with RSS patronage

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, January 30: Baijayant Jay Panda has steadily risen in the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the last couple of years. After falling out with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Panda had steered his political ship to the BJP’s saffron port.  

The BJP now has appointed him ‘prabhari (in-charge)’ for the crucial Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections. His appointment for UP is now the top buzz in the BJP circles as the party leaders indulge in guess works over the future direction of the party in the next few years.

To underline the significance of Panda’s appointment as the UP ‘prabhari’, a senior BJP leader said: “Amit Shah became president of the BJP after overseeing the party winning a total of 71 Lok Sabha seats in UP in the 2014 general elections. JP Nadda became president of the BJP after the party won 62 Lok Sabha seats despite a united Opposition in UP. If Panda sees the BJP winning more than 70 Lok Sabha seats in UP, he could be the next BJP president.”

Panda has for a few years been the BJP in-charge of Delhi. Under his helm, the Delhi unit of the BJP is searching for an identity. Delhi BJP unite president Virendra Sachdeva and Panda are known within the party circles to be working as a team to work out an alternative agenda to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the national capital.

But Panda lacks the RSS pedigree which may inhibit his rise in the party ranks even if the BJP delivers a spectacular result from UP while riding the Ram Temple election template. “Panda has developed close ties with the RSS leaders. His lack of an RSS pedigree may not matter now,” argued a senior BJP functionary.

Incidentally, the BJP leaders who are based out of the national capital enjoy access to the RSS leaders with ease for regularly being hosts to the functionaries of the mother saffron organization. With Panda, the BJP may be eying Odisha in the event the incumbent chief minister loosens grips over the state politics.

Panda is 60 years old. Despite ‘Brand Narendra Modi’, the BJP has failed to make inroads in Odisha. The BJP is widely seen to be lacking the leadership in Odisha to make any significant electoral gains. The BJP could be fancying an opportunity in Odisha by jacking up the profile of Panda.  

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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