It somehow seems fitting that the man chosen to lead the BJP is from Nagpur, the seat of the RSS.
Nitin Gadkari, 52, may have the blessings of the RSS ancients, but visit his website and it is clear that Gadkari has moulded himself as a moderniser.
The site details his achievements in transforming Nagpur when he was the Guardian Minister of the city. Gadkari is credited with construction of a large number of flyovers and Mumbai-Pune expressway.
Gadkari's ostensibly progressive outlook combined with his Nagpur origins may have clinched the deal for him, but he has his share of challenges.
At a time when the BJP needs him as a consensus builder, Gadkari's reputation as a faction leader may work to his detriment. He has been locked in a bitter long-running war with Gopinath Munde, the BJP's other Maharashtra stalwart, which many say has fuelled the party's decline in the state.
Compared to Munde, a powerful OBC leader, Gadkari, a Brahmin, is seen as a political lightweight with a negligible pan-Maharashtra presence. His entry to politics has been through the legislative council where he has been an MLC for the past 18 years.
And yet many say he is a fighter as he used his proximity to the RSS to survive the Munde-Pramod Mahajan stronghold over the state BJP.
As state president, Gadkari fought the Sena at every step, once pushing the alliance to breaking point over a single assembly seat. But as he journeys to New Delhi, containing his ambitious national colleagues, may require turning to Nagpur to seek the support of the same ancients that put him there.
Nitin Gadkari, 52, may have the blessings of the RSS ancients, but visit his website and it is clear that Gadkari has moulded himself as a moderniser.
The site details his achievements in transforming Nagpur when he was the Guardian Minister of the city. Gadkari is credited with construction of a large number of flyovers and Mumbai-Pune expressway.
Gadkari's ostensibly progressive outlook combined with his Nagpur origins may have clinched the deal for him, but he has his share of challenges.
At a time when the BJP needs him as a consensus builder, Gadkari's reputation as a faction leader may work to his detriment. He has been locked in a bitter long-running war with Gopinath Munde, the BJP's other Maharashtra stalwart, which many say has fuelled the party's decline in the state.
Compared to Munde, a powerful OBC leader, Gadkari, a Brahmin, is seen as a political lightweight with a negligible pan-Maharashtra presence. His entry to politics has been through the legislative council where he has been an MLC for the past 18 years.
And yet many say he is a fighter as he used his proximity to the RSS to survive the Munde-Pramod Mahajan stronghold over the state BJP.
As state president, Gadkari fought the Sena at every step, once pushing the alliance to breaking point over a single assembly seat. But as he journeys to New Delhi, containing his ambitious national colleagues, may require turning to Nagpur to seek the support of the same ancients that put him there.
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