Why is BJP not averse to elevating opposition leaders joining saffron ranks?

New Delhi: The latest list of Bharatiya Janata Party state unit chiefs, which includes promotion to Sunil Jakhar and D Purandeshwari Devi, has once again established that the saffron unit is not averse to giving major responsibilities to leaders who join it from opposition ranks.

Sources stated that the BJP’s top leadership is of the view that young and powerful leaders need to be onboarded to the saffron fold wherever the party is weak. Any senior grassroots-level opposition leader, who is feeling let down by their original party is allowed to join the BJP, albeit they present a future plan to expand the saffron footprint in their respective region and community of dominance, sources pointed out.

Interestingly, many of these opposition entrants have made it big in the BJP despite an open and vehement protest by BJP’s “original” leaders in various states, like in the case of Punjab and Telangana state units, sources pointed out.

The elevation of Jakhar and Purandeshwari comes even as the BJP has over the past few years accommodated senior leaders from all major opposition parties from across the ideological spectrum.

The senior leaders that have successfully accommodated in the saffron ranks include one of its most powerful chief ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma. From being a complete outsider, the senior leader has successfully established himself as the poster boy for Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, the ideological parent of the BJP. His elevation in the saffron ranks is such that he is now the points man for the BJP in the entire North-East, while the party also leans on him for help in resolving tricky issues like Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh’s judicial custody.

Similarly, the party reached out and accommodated Brajesh Pathak and Jitin Prasada in its ranks. While Pathak secured the Deputy CM’s position in Uttar Pradesh for his services in helping with the demolition of the Bahujan Samaj Party strategy, Prasada was made a Minister in Yogi Adityanath's cabinet to appeal to the Brahmin voters of the state.

While Jyotiraditya Scindia found a place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet after his contribution to bringing down the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh.

Keeping the caste and regional balance in mind several leaders from the opposition like Chaudhary Birendra Singh, RPN Singh, Captain Amarinder Singh, Devender Rana and Etala Rajender have been accommodated in various capacities.

The BJP’s open arms towards embracing its opponents were well in place as it used opposition assets to decimate their top leaders. Suvendu Adhikari, now the leader of BJP in the West Bengal Assembly, was deployed successfully to defeat his onetime supremo and mentor Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in the Assembly polls.

The BJP has used these entrants from the opposition ranks successfully to plug gaps in its strategically weak states and regions where it wants to grow in the future. The elevation of Sunil Jakhar in Punjab, D Purandeshwari Devi in Andhra Pradesh and Etala Rajender in Telangana can be seen in this light, sources pointed out.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to seek a third term in office in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is aiming to improve its tally of seats won in 2019. And the saffron unit is not leaving any strategic move in its arsenal to target opposition ranks.

The party hopes to wrest senior leaders from the opposition to help enable its return to power for an unprecedented third term at the Centre. The BJP hopes that this tactic will also help create fissures in the opposition ranks and will not allow these parties to rest. This, the BJP hopes, will help it secure major gains in various states in the 2024 general elections.