New Delhi: Former Union minister Smriti Irani has returned to a key organisational role in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), joining the party’s national team as a general secretary as BJP president Nitin Nabin unveiled a revamped group of office-bearers on Monday.
The new organisational structure combines experienced leaders with younger faces and gives greater prominence to regional and women’s representation ahead of a series of Assembly elections. The BJP has appointed 13 national vice-presidents, eight national general secretaries and 16 national secretaries. The appointments take effect immediately.
Irani’s return is among the most prominent changes in the new team. She has been appointed a national general secretary with responsibility for Uttar Pradesh, placing her back in a central organisational role after serving as a Union minister. She is among eight national general secretaries in the new structure.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje has retained a place as a national vice-president, while former BJP general secretary Ram Madhav has also returned to the party’s top organisational structure as a vice-president. Odisha BJP leader Baijayant Panda is among the other national vice-presidents, while Sambit Patra has been assigned the role of North-East Coordinator.
Amit Malviya, the BJP’s long-serving in-charge of its Information and Technology Department, does not figure in the party’s newly announced national organisational team. His exclusion marks a notable change in the BJP’s communications and digital setup, given his prominent role in managing the party’s IT operations and social media strategy in recent years.
The party has separately appointed Deepak Mhaske as social media coordinator, with Priti Gandhi, Shivanand Dwivedi, Alok Bhatt and Arun Yadav as joint coordinators, signalling a reshaping of the BJP’s digital communications machinery ahead of the upcoming elections. Anil Baluni has been appointed media coordinator and will work with Ashish Usha Agarwal, Pradeep Bhandari and Siddharth Yadav as joint coordinators.
Women account for six of the 13 national vice-president positions, while the broader national team includes 10 women, according to reports on the appointments. The new structure also includes leaders from different regions and social groups, reflecting an effort to widen the party’s organisational footprint.
The vice-presidential team includes Tirath Singh Rawat, D Purandeshwari, Rekha Verma, Varshaben Doshi, Bharti Pravin Pawar, Sardar Manpreet Singh Badal, Lal Singh Arya, M Nagaraja, Tariq Mansoor and Madhuchandra Kar, besides Raje, Madhav and Panda.
B.L. Santhosh will continue as the BJP’s national general secretary (organisation), with Shivprakash and Saudan Singh appointed as national joint general secretaries (organisation).
Sandeep Pathak, who recently left the Aam Aadmi Party, has also been appointed a BJP national secretary. Sambit Patra has been given responsibility as coordinator for the Northeast.
Union minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed national treasurer, while Rajesh Mangal has been named joint treasurer. The new team is being positioned as a combination of organisational experience, regional representation and younger leadership ahead of upcoming electoral challenges.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the newly appointed office-bearers, saying the team brings together organisational experience, energy and grassroots connect. He expressed confidence that the new team would contribute to strengthening the party and its public-service focus.
