Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, August 17, unveiled a new national team under president Nitin Nabin, handing former Union minister Smriti Irani back a senior organisational role and bringing RSS ideologue Ram Madhav back to the party’s top leadership. The reshuffle also ended Amit Malviya’s 11-year tenure as BJP’s IT Cell chief.
Irani has been appointed a national general secretary, marking her return to BJP’s upper organisational ranks more than two years after she was removed from the Union Cabinet. She was defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Amethi, where Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma defeated her.
Ram Madhav, a former BJP national general secretary who has played an important role in the party’s organisational and political expansion, has been appointed one of the party’s national vice-presidents. He is among 13 vice-presidents in the new team, six of whom are women. Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is also part of the vice-presidential group.
The reshuffle, considered a major move by BJP after Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation from the Union cabinet, gives considerable emphasis to women, with 12 women finding places in the party’s new national leadership structure. The move is being viewed in the context of BJP’s efforts to broaden its appeal among women voters ahead of elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat next year.
In fact, BJP’s organisational overhaul comes ahead of an expected Union Cabinet reshuffle and at a time when the party is also dealing with political and student-related challenges. The changes, therefore, are being seen as an important early imprint of party chief Nitin Nabin’s leadership as he seeks to shape the party’s national organisation for the next electoral phase.
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One of the most notable changes took place in BJP’s digital and social-media machinery. Amit Malviya was removed as the party’s IT Cell chief after around 11 years in the position. He will be succeeded by Deepak Mhaskey of Chhattisgarh.
Anil Baluni will continue as BJP’s media in-charge, while the party has also appointed several media and social-media co-convenors. The changes indicate a fresh approach to the party’s communication and digital outreach strategy, say political pundits.
The new team also includes Sandeep Pathak, who joined BJP after leaving Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) earlier this year. He has been appointed a national secretary, along with leaders such as former Kerala BJP chief K Surendran and Anil Antony, son of former Defence Minister AK Antony.
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BJP leader Sambit Patra has been given responsibility as the party’s coordinator for the Northeast. Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia are among the other prominent names included in the new organisational structure. BL Santosh will continue as national general secretary (organisation).
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat, Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purandeswari, Gujarat leader Varshaben Narendrabhai Doshi, former Union minister Bharti Pravin Pawar and former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal have also been assigned positions in the revamped team.
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Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has simultaneously been appointed BJP’s national treasurer.
The organisational changes come about seven months after Nitin Nabin took over as BJP president. At 46, Nabin is the youngest person to hold BJP’s national president’s post. The composition of his new team reflects an attempt to combine experienced leaders with younger faces, women and leaders with grassroots organisational experience. Nabin said the new team would give fresh momentum to BJP’s organisational work under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guidance.
Modi congratulated the newly appointed office-bearers, saying the team combined organisational experience, energy and grassroots connect and expressing confidence that it would strengthen the BJP and focus on public service.
