Eyes on 2028: BJP appoints two new district presidents

In a significant organisational reshuffle, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday replaced two district presidents. The reshuffle assumes significance as the new appointments came weeks after Abhishek Debroy assumed charge as the state president.

Prasenjit Ghosh, who had been serving as the party’s secretary in the Sepahijala (south) organisational district had been made president of the unit. He replaced Uttam Das. 

The responsibility of Khowai district had been handed over to Samir Das. Das replaced sitting president Binay Debbarma. Political observers describe both the appointments as very crucial considering the saffron party’s relentless efforts to establish a strong footing in those areas. 

Khowai has always been considered a weak link in the BJP’s organisational history. In the last two assembly elections, the party failed to secure a victory in the Khowai assembly seat however, in others seats of the district such as Kamalpur, Teliamura and Krishnapur BJP performed well. 

The remaining tribal dominated seats are considered to be strongholds of Tipra Motha, a constituent of the BJP-led ruling coalition. 

In Sepahijala (South) which consists of four assembly seats, the BJP had gradually expanded its footprints and by 2026 it stood in a dominant position. In the 2023 assembly polls, the BJP won Nalchar and Dhanpur with a convincing margin. 

The principal opposition CPIM, on the other hand, won two crucial seats–Sonamura and Boxanagar. In a by-election necessitated by the untimely demise of sitting CPIM legislator Samsul Haque, BJP secured a massive victory in the Boxanagar assembly constituency. 

According to observers, the appointments had been made to bring more acceptable faces to the forefront. Sources in the BJP said that with the appointment of new BJP state president, the party has launched its statewide organisational restructuring to prepare a robust team ahead of the assembly elections which are barely 20 months away from now.