| Office | National General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party |
|---|---|
| Office | National Joint General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Office | State General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party
|
| Term start | 15 July 2019
|
| Predecessor | Ram Lal
|
| Born | 1967-09-17 (age 59) |
| Born | Hiriadka, Udupi district,
Mysuru State, (present-day Karanataka) India
|
| Political party | Bhartiya Janata Party
|
Bommarabettu Laxmijanardhana Santhosh is an Indian politician currently National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party from 15 July 2019.[1][2][3][4]
Santhosh worked as BJP's General Secretary (Organisation) for eight years in the Karnataka state unit and was appointed national joint general secretary in-charge of southern states in 2014 by Amit Shah.[5][6][7][8][9]
Early life
Santhosh hails from Udupi in Karnataka. He studied Instrumentation Technology in BDT College of Engineering in Davanagere, Karnataka.[10]
Career
Santosh started as a RSS Pracharak (full-time worker) in 1993. He had stints in Mysuru, Shivamogga and later in Bangalore. He returned to Shivamogga in the early 2000s.[11] In 2006 he moved to BJP as the General Secretary (Organization) for Karnataka. He remained in the post till 2014. This also saw the BJP in power between 2008 and 2013.
In 2014, Santosh was made the Joint General Secretary (Organization) of BJP. In 2019 he was elevated to the post General Secretary (Organization) of BJP. He is someone who is attributed to have spotted and groomed youth leaders such as Pratap Simha and Tejasvi Surya in Karnataka.[5]
Detractors say Santosh wields a lot of control in Karnataka BJP and within the BJP high command at the center. People quote the fact that 2 unknown faces, Ashok Gasti and Eranna Kadadi, were made members of Rajya Sabha by the BJP in June 2020 much against the wishes of the Chief Minister.[12]
Controversy
Santosh in January 2020 reported that Valmikis, Bhovis, Waddars, and other Dalit societies are migrants, not native communities. J N Ganesh critizized him and said his assertion was incorrect. The Federation of Progressive Organizations organized a protest, demanding that he be charged under the SC/ST Act.[13]
References
- ↑ Conspiracies, threats and deleted posts – BJP leader BL Santhosh's angry Twitter world(2 March 2020). Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ↑ K'taka's BL Santhosh elevated to BJP General Secretary, party's 2nd most powerful role(15 July 2019). Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ↑ Meet BL Santhosh, newly appointed general secretary of BJP. live mint(15 July 2019). Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ↑ Why BJP Promotion For RSS Loyalist BL Santhosh Should Have Yeddyurappa Looking Over His Shoulder(16 July 2019). Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 With B L Santhosh As Party General Secretary, BJP Aims To Conquer Southern States. Outlook(15 July 2019). Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ↑ Is BL Santhosh The new 'Modi' of Karnataka?(1 September 2019). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ How BL Santhosh is redefining role of RSS pointsman in BJP under Amit Shah. ThePrint(9 January 2020). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ Why BL Santhosh can't be the Yogi Adityanath of Karnataka. The Times of India(3 May 2017). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ BL Santhosh behind the rebellion in Karnataka BJP?. Deccan Chronicle(27 January 2017). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ↑ ALL ABOUT BL SANTOSH: NUMBER, EMAIL, BIODATA HINDI.
- ↑ BL Santhosh: BJP's silent elephant in Karnataka's political war room(16 June 2020). Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ↑ Karnataka: BL Santosh picks grassroots BJP workers as Rajya Sabha candidates(9 June 2020). Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ↑ Action against B L Santosh sought for 'Dalit migrant' remark. Deccan Herald(2020-01-30). Retrieved 2021-05-02.