Bjp Reshuffle Smriti Irani Malviya Youth Wing

The BJP’s organisational overhaul signals the return of leaders who had been sidelined, replaces the social media in-charge, and brings in a new youth wing president — all changes that are being viewed within the party as a much-needed refresh after the recent CJP protests and before crucial state elections.

As expected, the party has inducted several leaders from UP and Punjab ahead of polls in the two states.

Among the key changes, the inclusion of Smriti Irani as general secretary is being seen by party insiders as not just a rehabilitation but also a move to add teeth to the party’s campaign ahead of the UP elections.

At the same time, the ouster of Amit Malviya as IT Cell and Social Media chief is being termed by leaders as the party’s effort to “sideline, for now” individuals who have become “controversial”. The unit’s name was listed as just “Social Media”.

As for Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Tejasvi Surya, sources said his replacement by Hemang Joshi is being attributed to the perceived failure of the youth wing to connect with Gen Z and effectively counter the recent protests across cities.

Much of the discussion around these changes stems from their timing — when the Government and the BJP are facing youth protests both online and on the ground. The changes are being seen as an admission that the party could not put up a successful counter.

The rehabilitation of established leaders who had seemingly lost favour with the leadership is a major theme. Madhav is back as national vice-president after spending considerable time in the political wilderness. Irani, too, had been sidelined for a while, losing not just her Cabinet berth but also her own election from Amethi in UP.

Sandeep Pathak, who crossed over to the BJP from AAP, has found a place in the new team of office-bearers as national secretary, as has Rohan Gupta who crossed over from the Congress.

Among the younger leaders who have found a place in the new team as national secretaries are Swadesh Singh and Siddharth Shambhu. They are seen as nominees of party president Nitin Nabin, with whom they are known to be close. The new SC Morcha president, Shivesh Kumar Ram from Bihar, is also seen as close to Nabin.

However, there is no Dalit representation in the list of eight general secretaries, with party leaders indicating that there could be more appointments later.

Nabin’s new team has an impressive number of experienced hands. “There does not seem to be any special focus — neither on youth nor on the south. But the new president has picked his own fresh team. From the old team, only two general secretaries, Vinod Tawde and Sunil Bansal, have been repeated. Almost all the team members have years of experience in the organisation,” said a former office bearer.

However, another party leader said: “The new team under the youngest president of BJP signals a major change. Bringing back leaders like Smriti Irani, who becomes a general secretary in a team that was without women’s representation, is significant. While it may not be entirely visible now, it is clear that this young party president intends to shape a new vision and narrative around the party and the Government leading up to the 2029 general elections.”

Irani had earlier made a name as an aggressive face who became the voice of the BJP on new media. Madhav had demonstrated the BJP’s tactical flexibility and efficiency in executing difficult electoral turnarounds in sensitive regions like Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast.

Irani, who served as Mahila Morcha president and national secretary before becoming a Union minister in 2014, had also been at the forefront of taking on the Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi. This assumes significance against the backdrop of Gandhi becoming more vocal and aggressive, taking up youth issues across the country after the Gen Z protests.

With elections in UP and Punjab, among other states, around the corner, Nabin has included half a dozen key faces from both states. These include Rekha Verma, Tariq Manzoor, Kunwar Basit Ali (UP minority morcha in-charge) and Amarpal Maurya (OBC leader) from UP, and Manpreet Badal and Sandeep Pathak (former AAP MP) from Punjab.

After the main opposition Congress gained considerable electoral influence in southern states like Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana, the BJP was expected to strengthen its organisation in the region. However, in the new team, representation from the south has been limited to six members — Telangana is not represented at all.

Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He ... Read More

Have been in journalism covering national politics for 23 years. Have covered six consecutive Lok Sa... Read More