Despite the passage of several key dates and festivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has yet to announce its new national president. The announcement has been postponed multiple times, with reasons ranging from the Delhi and Jharkhand elections to major festivals like Diwali and Navratri. Even after J.P. Nadda was given an extension until April 20, a month and a half has passed since, and the party still remains undecided.

Sources suggest that the main hurdle is a lack of consensus between the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). While the BJP’s suggested names don’t satisfy the RSS, the names proposed by the RSS are reportedly met with silence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

Several prominent names have been discussed, including Sanjay Joshi, Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Manohar Lal Khattar, Yogi Adityanath, Smriti Irani, and Dharmendra Pradhan. However, no final decision has been made.

Manoj Sinha: The Unexpected Contender

In a surprising turn, Manoj Sinha’s name has recently gained traction. Previously not considered a frontrunner, Sinha is now being discussed as a consensus candidate between the BJP and the RSS. Sinha is known to be close to both Modi and Shah, and also enjoys strong ties within the RSS.

Manoj Sinha, currently the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, hails from Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh. He was once considered the leading candidate for Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2017, with celebrations even beginning in anticipation, but was ultimately passed over in favor of Yogi Adityanath. In 2019, Sinha lost the Lok Sabha election, after which he was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir. Despite this, he has maintained regular contact with the central leadership in Delhi and is considered highly skilled in management and party affairs.

Internal Dynamics and Regional Implications

The indecision over the BJP president’s post is also due to disagreements over other names. Modi and Shah have not agreed on Sanjay Joshi, and while Modi is in favor of Vasundhara Raje, Shah is not. Similarly, the RSS is not on board with Manohar Lal Khattar. Other names like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupender Yadav, and Sunil Bansal have also surfaced but failed to gain unanimous support. Even Keshav Prasad Maurya’s name was discussed, but consensus remained elusive.

The emergence of Manoj Sinha’s name is notable because he comes from Purvanchal, a region where the BJP suffered significant losses in the 2024 elections, including seats in Varanasi, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Azamgarh, Lalganj, and Raebareli. The only major victory came from Yogi Adityanath’s stronghold, Gorakhpur. Appointing Sinha as BJP president could help consolidate the party’s position in Purvanchal, secure a specific vote bank, and potentially influence neighboring Bihar, as many areas in Bihar are connected to the Varanasi belt.

The Road Ahead

According to party insiders, the process of selecting the new BJP national president is expected to begin in the second week of June, starting June 9. Notably, the party has also yet to announce its Uttar Pradesh state president.

If Manoj Sinha is appointed as the national president, it remains to be seen if he will seek to redeem his missed opportunity from 2017 in the 2027 elections.

The sudden rise of Manoj Sinha as a leading contender has sparked widespread discussion. Readers are invited to share their views on this development.