New Delhi, March 16: Ending a three-month long suspense, BJP president Nitin Gadkari is set to announce his new team of office bearers on Tuesday. Gadkari had, at the time of his elevation to the party’s top job, announced that he intends to infuse a new spirit in the saffron brigade and favoured some crucial changes.
This overhaul in the BJP office bearers is the result of Gadkari’s ambitious plan to strengthen the party and his new team is expected to be a perfect blend of youth and experience.
The BJP chief is also believed to give proper representation to various states in the party’s top ranks.
Those tipped to become general secretaries include former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje, former Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda, spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad, Orissa leader Dharmendra Pradhan, and Himachal Pradesh minister JP Nadda.
While Ananth Kumar, Ram Lal Agarwal and Thwar Chand Gehlot will remain general secretaries, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was vice-president in Rajnath Singh’s team, will be made general secretary, according to reports.
Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is also expected to become a general secretary, while Yashwant Sinha is expected to remain vice-president.
Among new secretaries, Gadkari is likely to induct firebrand Varun Gandhi and Smriti Irani. Though Varun has sought a bigger profile, his mother Maneka Gandhi is persuading him to accept the role in view of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, as per reports.
Meanwhile, the BJP top brass including party chief Nitin Gadkari, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, organising secretary for Bihar Hriday Nath Singh and other leaders were reportedly engaged in a brainstorming meet, till late last night to discuss Bihar. The state goes to elections later this year and may need an experienced hand from Delhi to look after the party campaign.
While both Ravi Shankar Prasad, Shahnawaz Hussain are from Bihar, and are known to be LK Advani’s choices for the new team, either of them not finding a place in it would be “to maintain regional balance”. The party brass was also looking at ways to “optimally utilise” the services of Prasad and Prakash Javadekar both of them are spokespersons in the outgoing team.
BJP could now have a woman spokesperson this time.
Piyush Goel is also likely to be made treasurer in the new team. Besides, Kiran Maheshwari and Saroj Pande are likely to be among the women office bearers in the team.
-Agencies