New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday reconstituted its apex decision-making body, the Parliamentary Board, by replacing Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis – three BJP mass leaders widely expected to make it to the apex body – were also left out.
However, Fadnavis has been made a member of the party’s Central Election Committee which selects candidates during Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
Under the chairmanship of BJP President JP Nadda, the newly formed board has 11 leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa.
Telangana BJP leader K Laxman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura from Punjab, Sudha Yadav from Haryana, Satyanarayan Jatiya from Madhya Pradesh and BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh are also part of the parliamentary board. Santosh, who hails from Karnataka, has been made the secretary of the board.
Gadkari’s absence came as a surprise as the former BJP national president usually finds his place in the party’s apex body. The six new faces in the parliamentary board are Yeddyurappa, Sonowal, K Laxman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Sudha Yadav and Jatiya. BJP sources said that first a Sikh, Lalpura, has been appointed to the apex body.
BJP’s CEC reconstituted
The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the BJP was also reconstituted. The body now has 15 members, including 11, who are part of the parliamentary board. Other names in this body are: Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, MPs Om Mathur and Vanathi Srinivasan – as the head of the BJP women’s wing. Those excluded from the CEC include Jual Oram, Shahnawaz Hussain, Vijaya Rahatkar and Jual Oram.
emphasis on diversity
A senior BJP leader said the new parliamentary board shows how the BJP rewards old workers and there is a lot of emphasis on diversity.
“It is clear from the board how the party rewards old workers and values their experience. workers, People like BSY, Satya Narayan Jatiya, K Laxman have given their life to the party by building bricks and stones from the very beginning. Bringing him to the highest decision-making body gives a glimpse of how the party values its respected people. workersA party source said.
Emphasizing on diversity, the party source said, “Obviously there is emphasis on diversity. Sarbananda Sonowal is from Northeast, L Laxman and BS Yediyurappa are from South. Iqbal Singh is a Sikh in Lalpura.”
“Sudha Yadav is a self-made political leader whose husband was martyred in Kargil. Their inclusion shows respect for women and families of the armed forces. Representation from South and Northeast is at an all-time high,” the leader underlined.
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