NADDA'S SECOND CHANCE FOR A THIRD WAVE

POWER & POLITICS

- PRABHU CHAWLA

IN Modi’s BJP, the only lineage that matters is the party line. BJP president Jagat Pratap Nadda, hailing from an ordinary Himachali family, has been given a second chance despite losing the polls in his home state. He declared, “It is as much a privilege and honour as it is humbling to be entrusted with the responsibility of steering a movement which has seen many stalwarts leading it. I am deeply conscious of the expectations I carry.” Modi and Shah have great expectations from him: ensure a third successive BJP triumph in 2024. Soon after the National Executive meeting adopted a resolution moved by Rajnath Singh for Nadda’s extension, Amit Shah told the media: “During his presidential tenure, more than 120 various elections were fought out of which BJP won 77. BJP’s strike rate has been the highest in Bihar or in Maharashtra, where the NDA formed the government again, and in Bengal, the party covered the distance from three assembly seats to 77. In the southern states, including Tamil Nadu and Telangana, a favourable atmosphere has been created. In Goa, we scored a hat trick, and a historical mandate was delivered last year in Gujarat. I am confident that under the leadership of Modi Ji and Nadda Ji, the BJP will win with an even bigger majority in 2024,” Shah added. A tall order from a taller person who created history by refashioning the BJP in 2014.