BJP president Amit Shah’s decision to appoint a new state in-charge for Jharkhand with barely two months to go for assembly polls could be potentially troublesome. The party’s state unit is already replete with internal strife and the move is expected to add to the problems. The appointment of in-charges for all states was on the cards since Shah took charge in July. However, party workers are questioning in private the decision to replace Vinod Pandey with Trivendra Singh Rawat with assembly polls in Jharkhand expected to be held in December. Pandey had been appointed in January this year. Notably, soon after Shah assumed charge, the BJP appointed two election in-charges for the state—Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan Bhupendra Yadav and Dharmendra Pradhan, MoS for Petroleum and Natural Gas. While Pradhan plays a more supervisory role owing to his duties as a minister, Yadav remains in constant touch with state leaders. A spokesperson for the state unit said the new state in-charge Rawat would hit the ground running. “The appointment of state in-charges will be a routine matter. Rawatji will be able to consult (Bhupendra) Yadavji as well as our organisational general secretary (Rajendra Singh) on the way forward. There will be no problems,” said party spokesperson Pradeep Sinha. A senior leader, however, said Pandey’s replacement could be intended as a rebuke. “He (Pandey) did not devote enough time to Jharkhand and was interested in Uttar Pradesh affairs,” he said, requesting anonymity.
