<h3 data-start="209" data-end="272">BJP&rsquo;s Cracks Widen as Loyalists Feel Betrayed</h3>
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), long celebrated for its disciplined organisation and ideological cohesion, appears to be showing signs of internal fatigue. The recent developments in Narmada and Sabarkantha districts are not isolated skirmishes &mdash; they are symptomatic of a deeper malaise within the party: the growing frustration of its loyal cadre and the unchecked rise of factional politics.
At the heart of this unrest lies the BJP&rsquo;s evolving political strategy &mdash; its open-door policy towards leaders from rival ideological camps. While inclusivity may be a pragmatic election tactic, it has come at a price. The old guard, many of whom have nurtured the party through decades of struggle, now find themselves marginalised or mistrusted. The result is a rising tide of dissent, visible even in public forums.
Consider the ongoing Narmada district row. What began as a local protest over a road in Junaraj village has spiralled into an ugly power struggle. BJP MP Mansukhbhai Vasava, in an extraordinary public statement, accused Nandod MLA Darshanaben Deshmukh of backing AAP&rsquo;s Chaitar Vasava and even attempting to induct him into the BJP despite his alleged criminal record. He warned that such acts would &ldquo;damage the party&rsquo;s credibility&rdquo; &mdash; a rare and open rebuke from within.
Deshmukh, for her part, dismissed the allegations and accused the AAP of political hypocrisy. Chaitar Vasava himself struck back, claiming the BJP&rsquo;s internal rivalry was spilling into the public domain. His 15-day ultimatum to the administration over the Junaraj road &mdash; ironically located in Mansukhbhai&rsquo;s own native village &mdash; has further inflamed tensions.
The pattern of discontent doesn&rsquo;t stop there. In Sabarkantha, senior BJP leader and former minister Ramanlal Vorafound himself embroiled in a fresh controversy after a WhatsApp message from his number went viral, hinting at &ldquo;doing a Visavadar-wali&rdquo; &mdash; a phrase interpreted as alluding to internal sabotage. The reference to the Visavadar by-election, where the BJP had lost to AAP amid internal rifts, reopened old wounds.
Vora insists he has been framed, calling the controversy a &ldquo;conspiracy&rdquo; by party insiders to defame him. Yet this is not the first time his name has surfaced in contentious circumstances. Allegations regarding land ownership irregularities had earlier been levelled by BJP workers in Gandhinagar &mdash; and each time, the leadership&rsquo;s muted response only deepens the perception that the party&rsquo;s internal mechanisms for discipline are weakening.
The larger picture is unmistakable: as the BJP&rsquo;s base widens, its ideological coherence is thinning. The welcoming of defectors from rival parties may win short-term electoral battles, but it risks alienating those who built the organisation brick by brick. For the committed worker at the grassroots, the message seems clear &mdash; loyalty is negotiable, and power is the new credential.
The BJP&rsquo;s strength has always rested on its disciplined cadre, guided by ideological conviction rather than opportunism. But the growing signs of dissatisfaction, internal mistrust, and personality clashes threaten to erode that foundation. Unless the leadership acts decisively to address factionalism and reaffirm its core principles, the cracks within could soon widen into fissures &mdash; with consequences far beyond district borders.
In Gujarat&rsquo;s political laboratory, the BJP once stood for cohesion and collective purpose. Today, however, even its most loyal supporters are beginning to ask whether that formula still holds &mdash; or whether ambition and opportunism have taken its place.

BJP MP Mansukhbhai Vasava and senior leader Ramanlal Vora

Growing factionalism, outsider politics, and viral controversies reveal BJP’s inner unrest

BJP’s Loyal Cadre Losing Patience, Fast

Growing factionalism, outsider politics, and viral controversies reveal BJP’s inner unrest

October 8, 2025 | 15:20 IST