Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The BJP’s appointment of Tarun Chugh as its Gujarat in-charge signals an early start to preparations for the Assembly election due in late 2027, when the party will seek an eighth consecutive term in power in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.
The significance lies not merely in the timing. Chugh has been given sole charge of a state central to the BJP’s political identity, with no co-in-charge appointed so far. The arrangement places responsibility for election coordination, organisational management and relations between the party and the state government largely on him.
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Gujarat had remained without a permanent BJP in-charge for a considerable period. Union minister Bhupender Yadav previously held the responsibility, with MP Sudhir Gupta serving as co-in-charge before the Lok Sabha election.
Chugh’s appointment therefore fills an organisational gap as the party begins preparing to defend its strongest electoral fortress.
EIGHTH TERM, HIGHER EXPECTATIONS
The BJP recorded its biggest victory in Gujarat in the 2022 Assembly election, winning 156 of the 182 seats. Its strength has since increased to 162 MLAs.
That result presents the party with a difficult benchmark. While repeating or surpassing the 2022 tally may be challenging, the BJP’s central objective will be to retain power for an eighth consecutive term while preventing organisational complacency and anti-incumbency.
The absence of a co-in-charge suggests that the central leadership has placed considerable trust in Chugh’s ability to manage these challenges.
His responsibilities are expected to include strengthening the party at the booth level, coordinating with the state leadership, assessing the performance of legislators and preparing the organisation for candidate selection and campaigning.
CHUGH KNOWS GUJARAT WELL
Although Chugh is from Amritsar, Gujarat is familiar political territory for him.
He has handled election-related responsibilities in different Gujarat districts during the 2007, 2012, 2017, 2022 and 2024 polls. His appointment allows the BJP to deploy a leader who understands the state’s organisational network without being part of its local factional equations.
Chugh has also held responsibilities in politically difficult regions such as Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The party is now seeking to use that organisational experience in a state where victory is expected but the political cost of any setback would be substantial.
His history with PM Modi also adds significance to the appointment. Chugh worked in the BJP’s youth organisation when Modi was in charge of Punjab, giving him experience of working with the Prime Minister from an early stage of his career.
Entrusting Chugh with Gujarat indicates the priority the central leadership places on retaining Modi’s home state with a commanding majority.
FROM ABVP TO NATIONAL ORGANISATION
Born in Amritsar on May 3, 1973, Chugh entered organisational work at a young age through the RSS and later joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.
He served as an ABVP district secretary and state executive member between 1989 and 1994 before moving to the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
Chugh became the Amritsar district president of the BJYM in 1993, the Punjab unit’s general secretary in 1995 and its state president in 1997. The “Yuva Chetna Yatra” led by him in 1999 helped raise his political profile.
He subsequently worked in the Punjab BJP’s media and training units, served as vice-president of the Punjab Youth Development Board and became a general secretary of the party’s state unit.
In 2020, Chugh was appointed a BJP national general secretary and given responsibilities in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Telangana.
However, his latest appointment as Gujarat in-charge could be his most significant and critical assignment yet.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
