As many as 12 women, including former Union minister Smriti Irani, and six leaders from minority communities are part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s new national team under party president Nitin Nabin.
Besides Irani, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, former Union minister D Purandeshwari and ex-National Commission for Women chief Rekha Verma – appointed as vice-presidents – are on the team. Roop Kumari Choudhary has been appointed president of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha, while Priti Gandhi has been made a social media co-convenor. Congress veteran A K Antony’s son Anil Antony has been retained as a national secretary. Former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal has been appointed BJP national vice-president.
The new appointments ensure widespread representation, with voices included from 23 states and Union territories across the country, according to the party. Earlier reporting noted: The BJP has announced the appointment of 13 national vice presidents, including Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Tirath Singh Rawat, Ram Madhav, and Baijayant Jay Panda. The appointments, approved by BJP National President Nitin Nabin, also include 16 national secretaries.
“Such balanced appointments empower the incoming national president’s executive team to operate with a profound awareness of the nation’s vast geographical landscape and regional nuances,” the party said in a statement. Irani, who was brought back as general secretary, lauded the BJP for trusting an “ordinary worker like me”. “The world’s largest political party @BJP4India has created an ordinary worker like me and bestowed upon me the extraordinary responsibility of National General Secretary to contribute to that organization—this is a tribute to the “worker-centric system,” she said in a post in Hindi on X. BJP leaders said the new team is a strategic blend of seasoned administrative and organisational experience, youthfulness, geographic diversity and comprehensive social inclusion.
Earlier reporting noted: Former Union minister Smriti Irani has made a political comeback as she has been listed as one of the eight national general secretaries.
