While the State BJP has hailed the appointment of senior party leader and former Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in the new team of national BJP president Rajnath Singh as secretary, many political pundits have described this as a balancing act of the central leadership of BJP.
The senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, during his Kumaon visit here on Sunday, had given some hint about senior party leader and former Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat joining the team of national BJP president Rajnath Singh as a secretary.
By giving a role to Rawat as a secretary, the party central leadership has given due representation to Uttarakhand at the national level. Hopefully, it would definitely help party both at the State and at the Central level, Koshiyari expressed hope.
At the same time many an old hand in Kumaon politics here are of the view that by inducting Rawat in the national team, the party’s central leadership has only tried to strike a balance within the Uttarakhand BJP.
It may be recalled that it was Rawat, who gave a tough time to the party leadership during the appointment of the new State party president in December last, throwing hat in the ring. More so, defiance of central party leadership’s decision to appoint Tirath Singh Rawat as the State party president by Rawat, only delayed the election of the State party president.
Now it seems the central leadership of the BJP has rewarded Rawat this time by giving him a role in the party’s national affairs in return for giving up his candidature for State party president last December, observed the political analysts here.
Interestingly, Koshiyari who was also given senior position as national vice-president of the BJP when he tried to seek post of the Chief Minister of Uttarakahnd in place of BC Khanduri, however, expressed hope that since Rawat has a long experience of working in party organisation and later as the Minister, therefore the party would definitely benefit from his experience.
As the political commentators have also said that since Rawat is the man of Koshiyari camp, so his appointment as the national secretary is also an attempt on part of the central leadership of the BJP to unit different factions within the State BJP.
In the meanwhile, Koshiyari has called upon the party workers to be prepared for the upcoming lok Sabha elections, saying given the present political scenario in the country elections could be held any time.