Vishnu Dutt Sharma is credited for strengthening the ABVP in Madhya Pradesh in 1990s.
BJP's Madhya Pradesh general secretary and MP from Khajuraho, Vishnu Dutt Sharma, was appointed as the state unit chief of the party on Saturday.
BJP national general secretary Arun Singh made this announcement in an official communique. "BJP chief honourable Jagat Prakash Nadda ji has appointed Shri Vishnu Dutt Sharma as the president of the
Madhya Pradesh unit," it said.
With this, Mr Sharma (49) has replaced Rakesh Singh, believed to be a trusted lieutenant of Union Home Minister and former BJP chief Amit Shah.
Speculations were rife in the state BJP that Rakesh Singh, an MP from Jabalpur, might get another term. He had last month organised a grand Pro-Citizenship (Amendment) Act rally in his constituency, which was attended by Amit Shah.
However, the BJP leadership picked Mr Sharma for the post, a move that has come as a surprise to many.
Mr Sharma, who is popularly known as VD, is a staunch follower of the RSS. He is credited for strengthening the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students' wing of the RSS, in Madhya Pradesh in 1990s.
Mr Sharma, who was the national general secretary of the ABVP, had joined the BJP in 2013. With Mr Sharma's appointment, the BJP leadership has given yet another key post to a Brahmin leader in Madhya Pradesh after Gopal Bhargava, who is the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.