BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde, hailing from Maharashtra, is reportedly among the frontrunners for the post of president of the party organization. The inclusion of Jagat Prakash Nadda in the new Council of Ministers of the NDA government means that the BJP is set to hunt for a new president. This move seems to indicate an organizational overhaul following the party's unsatisfactory performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.
Tawde was sent on national deputation due to his alleged feud with Devendra Fadnavis. In 2019, Tawde was denied a ticket to contest the Maharashtra legislative assembly elections. However, in 2021, he was appointed as the general secretary of the party organization.
Promoting Tawde to the presidency of the saffron party would not only help the BJP present itself strongly in the upcoming assembly elections in the state but also allow the top leadership to rein in state leaders after the recent poor outing in the Lok Sabha polls.
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However, Tawde's path to the presidency will not be easy. According to a report in TNIE, the RSS is rooting for veterans like Rajnath Singh and Shivraj Singh Chouhan to helm the party. PM Modi and Amit Shah reportedly favor Tawde's ascent to the top post.
If Tawde becomes president of the BJP, the party will have another Marathi face as its chief 11 years after Nitin Gadkari stepped down. He would also be only the second president of the BJP from Maharashtra, following Gadkari.