Haryana: College students’ unrest and caste assertions
Khattar as subsequent BJP chief?
One other drama with hyperlinks to Haryana is unfolding on the nationwide stage. The BJP has accomplished formalities for the collection of its subsequent nationwide president together with the appointment of state unit heads in over 50 per cent of the states. Three frontrunners have emerged as contenders for the highest put up — Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Bhupender Yadav and Manohar Lal Khattar, all serving Union cupboard ministers.
Of the three, Khattar appears to have an edge. A devoted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak since 1977, he joined the BJP in 1994. His ideological continuity, organisational loyalty and administrative expertise make him a powerful contender.
A Punjabi baniya, Khattar made his electoral debut in 2014 and by changing into the primary non-Jat chief minister of the state, disrupted well-entrenched caste equations. A decade later, he transitioned to the nationwide stage after handing over the state’s reins to his protégé Nayab Singh Saini in March 2024.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections, noticed him profitable the Karnal Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 2.35 lakh votes, additional consolidating his picture as a reliable chief with broad enchantment.
His longstanding rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, relationship again to their days collectively within the social gathering’s organisational set-up through the Nineties, is also an important think about a high-stakes management transition.
Chouhan, the previous Madhya Pradesh chief minister, additionally enjoys RSS backing. However political analysts say his unbiased stature may fit towards him. Bhupender Yadav, an in depth confidant of Union residence minister Amit Shah, has performed a key behind-the-scenes function in managing elections and social gathering affairs. His low-profile however high-impact presence makes him a powerful candidate — although his lack of mass enchantment could also be a mitigating issue.
Each Chouhan and Yadav are OBC, however with Modi already representing this group, the social gathering would possibly look elsewhere. In some ways, Khattar represents a protected, strategic, and ideologically sound alternative — somebody who ticks all of the packing containers.
