BJP’s new central team: Dushyant Gautam dropped; Uttarakhand to get a new in-charge.
Dehradun/New Delhi. With the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) new central team, indications of major organizational changes in Uttarakhand politics have become clear. In the new list of office-bearers announced by the BJP central leadership, Dushyant Gautam has been removed from the post of National General Secretary. Gautam had long been handling the responsibility of the party’s state in-charge for Uttarakhand. It is now evident that the BJP will contest the upcoming assembly elections in Uttarakhand under the guidance and leadership of a new state in-charge.
Along with Gautam, senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand, Naresh Bansal, has also not been included in the new national team. The central leadership may soon officially announce the name of the new state in-charge for Uttarakhand. The high-profile and sensitive ‘Ankita Bhandari case’ is considered the primary reason behind the decision to remove Dushyant Gautam from his post.
Recently, claims linking Dushyant Gautam’s name to this case had gone viral on social media and in political circles. However, both the BJP and Gautam had dismissed these allegations as baseless, misleading, and part of a political conspiracy. The Delhi High Court had also granted him interim relief, directing the removal of objectionable and defamatory posts related to the matter.
Despite this, after his name was dragged into the controversy, Dushyant Gautam had largely distanced himself from the organizational activities and tours of the Uttarakhand BJP. With Uttarakhand on the threshold of upcoming assembly elections, opposition parties—including the Congress—and other organizations were relentlessly attacking the state government over the Ankita Bhandari case. Consequently, the party’s top leadership was facing an increasingly uncomfortable situation. Due to the in-charge’s distance from organizational programs and the shadow of controversies, the party high command decided to hand over the reins to a new face.
Naresh Bansal also left out of the new team
It is not just Dushyant Gautam who has faced a setback in the party’s organizational restructuring; Naresh Bansal, the Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand, has also been excluded from the new team. Bansal, who has previously served as National Co-Treasurer and held several key positions within the state organization, has not been assigned a role in the new central team.
Party sources indicate that the central leadership is now working on a strategy to bring forward new and energetic faces within the organization while balancing the political and caste equations of Uttarakhand.
Major Challenges Await the New State In-charge
The upcoming assembly elections in Uttarakhand are a matter of prestige for the party. Consequently, the BJP high command seeks to entrust the responsibility of State In-charge to a senior leader who:
- Stays clear of controversies: Can aggressively present the achievements of the central and state governments to the public while maintaining the party’s untarnished image.
- Curbs factionalism: Can establish better coordination between the state organization and the government.
- Excels in election management: Can fully mobilize the cadre on the ground for the electoral battle.
Efforts to Neutralize Opposition Attacks
Opposition parties in Uttarakhand have been creating an uproar—ranging from street protests to the Legislative Assembly—over the identity of the ‘VIP’ involved in the Ankita Bhandari case. This political pressure is considered a major factor behind Dushyant Gautam’s exit. The BJP leadership’s decision reflects the party’s determination to prevent any negative sentiment from building up against it ahead of the elections. All eyes within the Uttarakhand BJP cadre and leadership are now fixed on Delhi, awaiting the central leadership’s choice for the new ‘captain’—the State In-charge.