Lok Sabha Polls: Bharatiya Janata Party’s Key ‘Invisible’ General Secretaries

New Delhi: As Lok Sabha elections draw near, the post of “Sangathan Mahamantri” (general secretaries-organisation) becomes increasingly important in the BJP. The incumbent is a key political link with party’s ideological mentor RSS and carries out coordination at various levels.

He is assisted by five joint general secretaries (organisation) at the national level. The same hierarchy is followed in state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) units. There is one general secretary (organisation) with two or three joint general secretaries (organisation) in every state unit of the BJP.

The post of General Secretary (Organisation) in BJP is held by a “pracharak” deputed by the Rashtriya Swayamesvak Sangh who acts as a bridge between the two organizations.

The post is powerful and the person holding it is regarded a notch above other general secretaries in terms of influence.

While other party office-bearers, including the party president, vice-presidents, general secretaries, secretaries and spokespersons have a public profile and engage with the media, the general secretary (organisation) is largely a backroom commander dedicated to party work – identifies organizational gaps, gives grassroots feedback and stays away from limelight.

Sources said that general secretary (organisation) is answerable to RSS and apparently not as much to the BJP chief and gets his brief from the Sangh.

The post of general secretary (organisation) in BJP is at present held by Ram Lal. Under him, there are four joint general secretaries (organisation). They are V Satish, Saudan Singh, Shiv Prakash and BL Santhosh.

Ram Lal: He is the longest serving BJP general secretary (organisation). Known for his organisational skills, he coordinates with the RSS, maintains the cadres and works to keep the primacy of ideology.

V Satish: He is “Sangathan Mantri” (joint general secretary (organisation)) and in-charge of the west zone (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra) besides Andhra Pradesh. A full-time RSS worker, he is focusing on the four crucial states in the Lok Sabha elections. Born in Nagpur, he worked in northeastern states for Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and RSS before being shifted to BJP’s Assam unit.

Shiv Prakash: He is looking after organisational affairs primarily in West Bengal and also in western Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Saudan Singh: He is in-charge of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand and is credited with BJP’s past victories in Chhattisgarh. Singh is presently busy in Odisha, where the party is striving hard to improve its performance by strengthening party structures.

BL Santhosh: A chemical engineering graduate, Santhosh is looking after BJP affairs in south India. Known for organizational skills, he adopts latest communication technologies for increasing party’s strength. The initiative of getting volunteers from various professions to take a sabbatical and work for the party, prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, was said to be his brainchild. (IANS)

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