B.L. Santosh appointed BJP General Secretary
New Delhi, Jul 14: BJP president Amit Shah Sunday elevated party's joint general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh as its general secretary (organisation), a day after Ramlal was moved back to the RSS after holding the post for over 13 years.
Santosh, a RSS 'pracharak' working in the BJP since 2006, is considered an ideologue who is equally well-versed with the dynamics of electoral politics.
The BJP said in a statement that he will assume his new responsibility with immediate effect.
It is considered that he enjoys the trust of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah. His views have often played a key role in the party's decisions related to southern states, especially Karnataka, a place he hails from and where he was the BJP's general secretary (organisation) for eight years from 2006.
In 2014, the BJP gave him a national position, making him one of the associates of Ramlal as a joint general secretary (organisation). He was given the charge of southern states.
An assertive leader who can effectively espouse the party's Hindutva ideology, Santosh's appointment to the second most powerful post in the party assumes extra significance at a time when it is set to undergo organisational changes.
Ahead of the recent Lok Sabha elections, he had strongly defended the BJP's surprise decision to not give ticket to its senior leader Ananth Kumar's widow Tejaswini Ananth Kumar from her husband's pocket borough of Bangalore South.
The party cannot give poll ticket on the basis on DNA and genes, he had said.
Though the move had ruffled the feathers of a section of the state leaders, BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya easily won from the seat.
The BJP also improved its show in the general election in southern states like Telangana and Karnataka but could not make much headway in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
As organisational elections in the BJP are due in the coming months and speculation rife that Shah, who is also the home minister, may relinquish his party post, Santosh's role will be crucial in steering the organisation through these changes ,while keeping it battle-ready for the assembly elections ahead.
Santosh's predecessor Ramlal was moved back to the RSS after holding the position for over 13 years.
The post of general secretary (organisation) is always kept by a leader with the RSS background as it allows the Hindutva organisation to have an important say in its affairs while allowing him to serve as a bridge between the BJP and its ideological parent.
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Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
