BJP appoints new state chiefs for Bihar, Rajasthan

Making key appointments in states, the BJP on Saturday appointed its Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jaiswal as party chief of Bihar, replacing Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home in the Union government.

The party also appointed Satish Punia as chief of Rajasthan BJP weeks after the death of state party chief Madan Lal Saini, who was a compromise candidate owing to differences on the issue between then Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and top BJP central leadership.

The BJP leadership then wanted to hand over the baton Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who was later inducted as Union Minister in Modi 2:0 government.

Punia, an MLA from Amer, is considered very close to RSS and is known for astute organizational skills while Jaiswal, a doctor by profession is a three-term MP from West Champaran. Before Punia’s name was announced, former Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was being considered a top contender for the job.

In another appointment, the party has made Ajay Kumar the state general secretary (organisation) of Uttarakhand.

Jaiswal, who was also the Chief Whip of the BJP in Lok Sabha, is from the Vaishya community in Extremely Backward Class (EBC), considered the core vote bank of the saffron party. He is known as a leader with a clean record and non-controversial image.