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Assembly polls 2018: BJP's general secretaries working behind the scenes

Come election and for the leaders, the invisible GSO is the primary source of information and assessment about ticket aspirants

Top left- Suhas Bhagat (Madhya Pradesh), Bottom left- Chandrashekhar (Rajasthan), Middle- Pawan Sai (Chhattisgarh), Top right- Mantri Sreenivasulu (Telangana), Bottom right- Atul Rai  (Madhya Pradesh)
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Top left- Suhas Bhagat (Madhya Pradesh), Bottom left- Chandrashekhar (Rajasthan), Middle- Pawan Sai (Chhattisgarh), Top right- Mantri Sreenivasulu (Telangana), Bottom right- Atul Rai (Madhya Pradesh)

Radhika Ramaseshan
A degree of opacity always clouded the appointment to what the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indubitably considered the most important post in the hierarchy after that of the national president. It’s the designation of general secretary (organisation) or GSO,  national and state. In state units of the BJP, the GSO is often more powerful than the provincial president because he/she has direct access to the national president and even the prime minister. 

The incumbents remain shadowy and rarely speak with the media. 

Among other reasons, a GSO is important because he/she is the BJP’s artery to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh