The BJP central leadership has announced its new team of national office-bearers, with former Union minister Smriti Irani appointed as a national general secretary and 13 leaders, including Rajahmundry MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Vasundhara Raje and Ram Madhav, named as national vice-presidents.
Andhra Pradesh BJP leader and party spokesperson S. Vishnu Vardhan Reddy has been appointed as Joint Coordinator for all wings, giving him an important organisational responsibility at the national level.
His appointment has attracted considerable attention in political circles, particularly within the BJP in Andhra Pradesh.
The party has also appointed Tarun Chugh as in-charge of the BJP central office and Amar Pal Maurya as the new president of the BJP OBC Morcha.
B.L. Santosh will continue as the party’s organisational general secretary, while Shiv Prakash has been appointed organisational joint general secretary.
The new appointments, however, have raised eyebrows in Telangana, as the state has not received representation in the BJP’s new national team. Former national vice-president D.K. Aruna has also been dropped from the latest list.
This has surprised political observers, especially as the BJP is aiming to strengthen itself further in Telangana ahead of the next elections.
There had been speculation that Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender might be given a major post in the central BJP organisation. There was also talk that Bandi Sanjay could be moved out of the Union Cabinet and given an important party responsibility in Telangana.
However, neither has happened.
More surprisingly, not a single BJP leader from Telangana has been given a post in the new national team.
Since the organisational changes are being seen as part of the BJP’s larger effort to strengthen its structure across states and social groups, the lack of representation for Telangana has become a major talking point within political circles.
