The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made significant appointments and reshuffled its national office-bearers ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In a notable move, GR Ravindra Raju has been appointed as the state unit general secretary (organisation) for both Tripura and Assam units. Simultaneously, Phanindra Nath Sharma will take over a similar position in the Haryana unit. Interestingly, Raju and Sharma will be swapping their positions, indicating the party’s strategic approach to leverage their expertise in different regions.
Furthermore, Vivek Dadhakar has been assigned the role of general secretary (organisation) for the BJP’s Andaman and Nicobar unit.
It’s worth mentioning that BJP general secretaries (organisation) in state units are typically drawn from the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and play a crucial role in executing the party’s policies and programs. They also serve as a vital link between the BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS.
In the larger context of party restructuring, BJP president JP Nadda has made several changes to the list of national office-bearers. Notably, a Pasmanda Muslim from Uttar Pradesh has been appointed as one of the vice presidents. Additionally, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, former Telangana unit chief, has been appointed as a national general secretary, signaling his importance within the party.
As part of the reshuffle, the BJP has dropped CT Ravi, Dilip Saikia, Vinod Sonkar, Harish Dwivedi, and Sunil Deodhar from their roles as general secretaries. Saroj Pandey, a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh, has been promoted to the position of vice president, while Lata Usendi, a tribal leader from Chhattisgarh, has also been elevated to a vice president role, highlighting the party’s focus on Chhattisgarh where Congress holds power.
The newly revised list of central office-bearers now includes two new faces – Anil Antony, son of veteran Congress leader AK Antony, and Surendra Singh Nagar, an influential Gurjar leader from western UP, serving as secretaries.
Another significant development is the appointment of former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Mansoor as a party vice president, reflecting the BJP’s outreach to the Pasmanda (backward) Muslims.
While there are no women among the party’s nine general secretaries, the BJP has five women vice presidents and four women secretaries among the new national office-bearers.
The reshuffling comes as part of the BJP’s preparations for upcoming state elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. With these strategic changes, the party aims to strengthen its organizational structure and consolidate its position in various states across the country.
