Bommarabettu Laxmijanardhana Santhosh better known as B.L Santhosh is a famous Indian politician. He exercised a lot of control in Karnataka BJP and within the BJP High command at the center and served as the BJP’s General Secretary for eight years since 2006 in the Karnataka state unit. Having a strong association with the prominent Bhartiya Janata Party, Santhosh was elected as the national joint general secretary in-charge of southern states in 2014, following which he was also appointed as the National General Secretary of Bhartiya Janata Party on July 15, 2019.
Born into a Hindu Brahman family at Hiriydaka, a small village in Udupi district, Karnataka Santhosh has two siblings; one elder sister and a younger brother. Since childhood, he was a bright student interested in the social reconstruction movements and India's contributions to the ancient & modern world. He pursued chemical engineering and a B.E degree in Instrumentation Technology from BDT College of Engineering in Davanagere, Karnataka.
Before joining politics B.L Santhosh worked as a Design Engineer in a Telecommunications firm for about three years. He made his political debut as a full-time worker of RSS (RSS pracharak) in 1993. It was in the same year when Santhosh sacrificed his family to fulfill his responsibilities towards Sangh. During his tenure for over nine years as an RSS worker, he served in Mysuru, Shivamogga and later in Bangalore.
In a major political shift in Punjab, three legislators from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party—former Inspector General of Police Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, former cabinet minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra, and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra—formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at its central office in New Delhi. The leaders were inducted in the presence of senior party functionaries, including Punjab in-charge Satish Poonia and state unit president Kewal Singh Dhillon. Addressing the media, the MLAs criticised the state government over issues concerning governance, rampant drug abuse, extortion rackets, and rising gangster activities. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh remarked that his tenure with AAP was like an 'internship' that has now concluded, pointing out administrative failure, collapsing industries, and rising state debt. Chetan Singh Jouramajra highlighted a breakdown in the state's healthcare and education systems, while Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra pledged to mobilise support at the grassroots level to establish a double-engine government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Punjab.
The National Democratic Alliance secured a 4-0 clean sweep in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections across four constituencies, dealing a blow to the ruling Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party bagged the Northeast Teachers, West Graduates, and Southeast Graduates seats, while its ally Janata Dal (Secular) won the Bengaluru Teachers constituency. With the polling conducted through paper ballots instead of electronic voting machines, the Bharatiya Janata Party mocked the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, asserting that voters continue to back the NDA regardless of whether paper ballots or EVMs are used. The party also targeted Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on social media following the outcome. Responding to the results, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge maintained that while the party accepts democratic outcomes and will draw lessons, the defeat does not serve as a mandate on the performance of the state government due to the limited and specialised nature of the electorate comprising teachers and graduates.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal are in the final stages of re-establishing their alliance ahead of the Punjab assembly elections. Sources indicate the BJP will assume the big brother role, with Akali Dal instructing leaders to refrain from preparing for rural seats. BJP National General Secretary Organisation BL Santhosh urged party workers to prepare across all 117 seats during a Punjab visit, without ruling out an alliance. Recent developments follow meetings between SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. The potential tie-up comes six years after their political split, aiming to counter the governing Aam Aadmi Party and Congress in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a marathon four-and-a-half-hour meeting with the newly appointed BJP office bearers at the party headquarters. During the huddle over a millet meal, PM Modi extended his best wishes to the new team and urged functionaries to remain active on social media to strengthen digital outreach and deepen youth connect. Discussions were also held with party leadership regarding the names of Parliamentary Board members, with an official announcement expected soon. The two-day organizational meeting focuses on setting the BJP's electoral roadmap for upcoming assembly elections, including key states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, as well as groundwork for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. Additionally, the new BJP team passed a resolution on Vande Mataram, asserting that the honor of the national song cannot be compromised for political appeasement, while targeting the Congress party. In response, Congress stated that the BJP's strategy would not work.
The session will feature National Organisation General Secretary BL Santhosh and Program-in-Charge Vinod Tawde, alongside state BJP presidents, organisation general secretaries, and state in-charges.
The leadership discussed a nationwide plan for Modi at 25 celebrations alongside organisational strategies and election preparedness for upcoming state assembly elections, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat, as well as future Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the BJP headquarters to attend a meeting with the newly appointed team of party office bearers. The interaction focused on formulating a roadmap for upcoming state assembly elections, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, as well as laying groundwork for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Key discussions centered on expanding party outreach toward Gen Z and younger voters, alongside celebrating Prime Minister Modi's 25 years in public life. The party highlighted its resolution on protecting the national song Vande Mataram while intensifying political attacks against the Congress over its recitation stance. Newly inducted office bearers and senior leaders, including Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal, Ram Madhav, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, and B.L. Santhosh, were present. The meeting also addressed organizational strategies, potential alliances in Punjab, and counter-strategies against opposition unity on student and youth issues.
BJP National President Nitin Nadda is set to chair the first introductory meeting of the newly appointed party office bearers following a major organizational rejig. The session will be attended by National Organizational General Secretary BL Santhosh, Program in Charge Vinod Tawde, state BJP presidents, state in-charges, and organization general secretaries. The meeting will focus on chalking out a nationwide plan for the Modi at 25 celebrations and finalizing election strategy for upcoming state assembly elections in 2027. Key challenges identified for the new team include creating a blueprint to connect with Gen Z voters, drafting the Sankalp Patra for election-bound states, strategizing for Punjab polls, strengthening the party footprint in Uttar Pradesh, and managing internal party factions.
