2024 LS slide lesson: RSS appoints 1st UP coordinator to bridge gap with BJP

Lucknow: In politics, popularity and strong leadership are never enough. When coordination in a party breaks down or leaders lose touch with grassroots workers, even the most powerful organisations can stumble.The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh understood this in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in which poor communication and weak organisational alignment resulted in losses for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh as its tally dropped from 62 seats in 2019 to 33 in 2024.The main reasons, analysts pointed out, for the debacle were flawed ticket distribution, inadequate coordination between govt and the party organisation, and a disconnect between RSS foot soldiers and BJP workers.For the Sangh, this setback was a wake-up call, prompting an unprecedented experiment to repair the cracks. As a result, for the first time, the RSS appointed a state-level coordinator to act as a bridge between govt and the organisation.Traditionally, Arun Kumar, the RSS joint general secretary (sah sarkaryavaah), served as the national coordinator, liaising between the central BJP leadership and the Sangh.Now, Kripashanker, the joint prachar pramukh of UP and Uttarakhand, has been entrusted with the responsibility to strengthen coordination between the BJP govts in these states and the RSS network. According to insiders, he has already been working for over three months, holding multiple rounds of meetings with ministers, party leaders and govt departments. His presence has also been noted in several high-level discussions.The coordination drive is not confined to Lucknow or Dehradun. Regular meetings are being organised regionally, following the BJP's organisational divisions and at the district level.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has attended some of the sessions, signalling the importance the party attaches to this exercise.District-level meetings are particularly crucial, as they bring together RSS and BJP office bearers with local administrators, including district magistrates and police chiefs. The aim is to ensure grassroots concerns are heard and genuine issues are addressed promptly by officials. The frequency of interactions reflects a serious effort to collect feedback from the ground and channel it upward to senior government officials.At the same time, district-level Sangh Parivar functionaries are encouraged to raise local issues, while officials are expected to provide solutions. This structure is intended to bridge the gap between the organisation and the government and between state-level leaders and smaller grassroots units. Kripashanker remains in close touch with the CM and senior cabinet ministers, ensuring that coordination is not just symbolic but operational.The RSS hopes that this experiment will prevent a repeat of the 2024 LS debacle and prepare the BJP for the 2027 assembly elections.Whether this new model of coordination succeeds in reviving the party's fortunes remains to be seen—but for now, the Sangh has made its intent clear: no grievance should go unheard, and no worker should feel disconnected.