Buzz Over Rajnath Singh As Likely BJP Chief

Party insiders claim that Rajnath Singh is emerging as a consensus choice to restore internal stability.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Senior BJP leaders have indicated that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's most trusted colleagues, could be brought back as the party's national president. Party insiders stated that internal conversations on this subject have advanced in recent weeks, with Singh emerging as a consensus choice — respected by Modi, trusted by the RSS, liked by senior leaders across factions, and non-threatening to any emerging power centres.

A Thakur by caste, Singh previously served as BJP president during 2005-2009 and again from 2013 until early 2014. In his second term, he formally proposed Narendra Modi's name as Chairman of the BJP Election Campaign Committee (in effect, the party's prime ministerial candidate) in June 2013 in Goa.

That announcement, made amid deep internal divisions, is now widely acknowledged as a turning point in the BJP's national rise. Leaders such as L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi had opposed the move, but Singh pushed it through after sustained backchannel coordination with the RSS.