The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its new national leadership team for 2023, with several new faces and roles. The party has appointed 12 national vice-presidents, eight general secretaries, 13 secretaries, four spokespersons, and four joint general secretaries (organisation). The new team reflects the party’s focus on diversity, youth, and experience.
New Vice-Presidents: A Mix of Veterans and Youngsters
The BJP has appointed 12 national vice-presidents, who will assist the party president J P Nadda in various tasks and responsibilities. The new vice-presidents include veterans like Radha Mohan Singh, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Baijayant Panda, and Mukul Roy, as well as youngsters like Annapurna Devi, Rekha Verma, A P Abdullakutty, and M Chuba Ao. The party has also given representation to women, Dalits, tribals, and minorities in the vice-presidential posts.
New General Secretaries: Key Roles for Tarun Chugh and C T Ravi
The BJP has appointed eight general secretaries, who will be in charge of different states and regions. The most prominent among them is Tarun Chugh, who has been given the responsibility of Punjab, Chandigarh, and Delhi. Chugh is a close aide of former BJP president Amit Shah and has been working as a national secretary since 2019. He will play a crucial role in the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab, where the BJP is facing a tough challenge from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Another key appointment is that of C T Ravi, who has been made the general secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Ravi is a former minister in Karnataka and a strong leader of the Vokkaliga community. He will be tasked with strengthening the party’s presence in the southern states, where it has been struggling to make a mark.
New Secretaries: Focus on Youth and Diversity
The BJP has appointed 13 national secretaries, who will assist the general secretaries in their respective states and regions. The new secretaries include young leaders like Anil Baluni, Arun Singh, Pankaja Munde, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Sunil Deodhar, Vinod Sonkar, and Y Satya Kumar. The party has also given representation to women, Dalits, tribals, minorities, and OBCs in the secretary posts.
New Spokespersons: Fresh Faces for Media Outreach
The BJP has appointed four national spokespersons, who will be the party’s voice in the media and public forums. The new spokespersons are Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Sanju Verma, Raju Bisht, and Tom Vadakkan. Rathore is a former union minister and an Olympic medalist in shooting. Verma is a former Maharashtra BJP Mahila Morcha president and a vocal supporter of the party on social media. Bisht is a former MP from Darjeeling and a leader of the Gorkha community. Vadakkan is a former Congress leader who joined the BJP in 2019.
New Joint General Secretaries (Organisation): Coordination with RSS
The BJP has appointed four joint general secretaries (organisation), who will coordinate with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other allied organisations. The new joint general secretaries are V Satish, Saudan Singh, Shivprakash, and Arun Kumar. They will work under B L Santhosh, who is the national general secretary (organisation) of the party.
The new national leadership team of the BJP reflects its vision for 2023 and beyond. The party has tried to balance experience and youth, diversity and unity, organisation and outreach in its new team. The new team will work under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president J P Nadda to achieve the party’s goals and objectives.
