The Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) on Monday unveiled its new national team under party president Nitin Nabin, combining continuity in its core organisational structure with several high-profile changes, including the return of former Union minister Smriti Irani as a national general secretary and the appointment of Ram Madhav as a national vice-president (VP). BJP has replaced its incumbent information technology (IT) team head Amit Malviya, while handing over the charge to Deepak Mhaskey from Chhattisgarh.
The new team also includes Rajasthan’s former chief minister (CM) Vasundhara Raje and Uttarakhand’s former CM Tirath Singh Rawat among the 13 national VPs. Union minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed national treasurer.
The appointments, which take effect immediately, were announced after Mr Nabin approved the new national office-bearers.
The party has retained BL Santhosh as national general secretary (organisation), ensuring continuity in the BJP-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organisational structure. Shivprakash and Saudan Singh have also been retained as national joint general secretaries (organisation).
BJP said the new team represents a combination of experienced organisational and administrative leadership, youthfulness, regional diversity and social inclusion.
Smriti Irani Returns to Key Organisational Role
One of the most significant appointments is that of Smriti Irani as a national general secretary.
Ms Irani, a prominent campaigner of the party with a political connection with Uttar Pradesh, returns to a key organisational position as the party seeks to consolidate its electoral and organisational presence in the politically crucial state.
Her appointment brings a high-profile political communicator back to the centre of the BJP's national organisational machinery.
Tripura’s former CM Biplab Kumar Deb has also been appointed national general secretary. His elevation brings a prominent northeastern leader associated with the BJP's expansion in Tripura and the eastern region into the party's national structure.
The other national general secretaries are: Vinod Tawde from Maharashtra, Sunil Bansal from Delhi, Satish Poonia from Rajasthan, Gajendra Patel from Madhya Pradesh, Harish Dwivedi from Uttar Pradesh and Sanjay Bhatia from Haryana.
The appointments give the general secretaries' team a mix of organisational experience and regional representation.
Deepak Mhaskey Replaces Amit Malviya as BJP's Social Media HeadBJP appointed academic and Chhattisgarh-based leader Deepak Mhaskey as head of its social media department, replacing Amit Malviya, who had led the party's digital outreach for 11 years.
Mr Malviya congratulated Mr Mhaskey on his appointment along with the BJP's newly-appointed national office-bearers.
In a post on X, the former IT cell head said the appointments came at an important stage as the party seeks to expand its organisational reach and take its message across the country.
Mr Mhaskey, who was born in 1968, has an academic background and previously worked as a chemistry professor in Chhattisgarh. He has also served as a member of the board of Engineers India Limited and is currently chairman of the Chhattisgarh Medical Services Corporation Ltd (CGMSC), a position carrying the rank of a state minister. He is also a permanent invitee to BJP's Chhattisgarh unit.
The change in the social media department comes as digital platforms remain a key component of political communication, campaigning and mobilisation, with the party seeking to strengthen its outreach through its national digital machinery.
Ram Madhav Makes a Comeback
Ram Madhav's appointment as national vice-president marks another significant feature of the reshuffle.
Mr Madhav, an experienced BJP and RSS-linked organisational strategist, has been brought back into the party's national office-bearer structure after being outside the immediate national team.
His appointment indicates that the BJP is redeploying experienced leaders with organisational and political expertise while simultaneously strengthening newer layers of leadership.
The 13 national vice-presidents include: Ms Raje, Mr Rawat, Mr Madhav, Baijayant Jay Panda, D Purandeshwari, Rekha Verma, Varshaben Narendrabhai Doshi, Bharti Pravin Pawar, Manpreet Singh Badal, Lal Singh Arya, M Nagaraja, prof Tariq Mansoor and Madhuchandra Kar.
The appointments provide representation from several states and regions, including Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal.
Women and Minority Representation
BJP has also highlighted the representation of women and leaders from minority communities in the new national team.
The party said 10 experienced women leaders from different parts of the country have been appointed to the national office.
Six leaders from minority communities have also been included in the new national team, according to the party.
The party said the appointments were aimed at ensuring broader social representation within its national organisational structure.
The new national secretary team includes women and leaders representing several social and regional constituencies.
Sixteen leaders have been appointed national secretaries: Kavita Patidar, K Surendran, Bhola Singh, Pradip Varma, Jagdish Ishwarbhai Patel, Sandeep Pathak, Phangnon Konyak, Sangeeta Yadav, Anil Antony, M Venkateshan, Manoj Tigga, Siddharth Shambhu, Swadesh Singh, Mriganka Deo Barman, Rohan Gupta and Jai Prakash.
The appointments cover states including: Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Delhi, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam.
Focus on Youth and Social Outreach
The reshuffle also places emphasis on strengthening BJP's organisational reach among younger voters and different social groups.
Gujarat leader Hemang Joshi has been given charge of BJP's Yuva Morcha, signalling an effort to build a younger organisational layer.
The new morcha structure also focuses on women, OBCs, farmers, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minority outreach.
The emphasis on these organisational wings comes as political parties increasingly rely on specialised outreach mechanisms to maintain contact with specific voter groups and strengthen grassroots networks.
Continuity At the Organisational Core
Despite the high-profile changes, the reshuffle preserves the BJP's core organisational architecture.
Mr Santhosh continues as national general secretary for organisation, while Mr Shivprakash and Saudan Singh retain their organisational responsibilities.
The continuity is significant because the organisation secretary's role is central to coordination between the party structure and its broader organisational network.
The reshuffle, therefore, combines changes at the political leadership level with continuity in the party's organisational backbone.
Piyush Goyal Appointed Treasurer
Mr Goyal, the Union minister of commerce, has been appointed national treasurer, bringing an experienced political leader into the party's financial and organisational structure.
The new team places several senior leaders in clearly defined organisational positions while expanding the representation of younger and regionally prominent leaders.
Digital Communication Gets Fresh Focus
BJP has also made changes to its communications machinery at a time when social media has become an increasingly important component of political campaigning.
Anil Baluni retains the post of media convenor, providing continuity in the party's conventional media operations.
Deepak Mhaskey of Chhattisgarh has been appointed national social media convenor.
His background in the BJP's IT organisation, electoral data and grassroots work is expected to bring a stronger data-oriented approach to the party's digital communication and targeted outreach.
The change comes as political parties increasingly use social media platforms, digital networks and constituency-level data to communicate directly with voters and mobilise cadres.
Organisation Ahead of Electoral Battles
The new appointments suggest an effort to combine organisational continuity with political and social expansion.
BJP has retained its established organisational leadership while bringing back experienced figures such as Mr Madhav and Ms Irani and promoting leaders with strong regional and social identities.
The appointments of Mr Deb, Mr Poonia, Mr Dwivedi and Bhola Singh also strengthen the party's representation among important regional and social constituencies.
The inclusion of Mr Tigga provides greater representation to West Bengal, while the appointment of leaders from the northeast, south, west and north reinforces the party's geographical spread.
With Nitin Nabin now leading the party organisation, the new national team represents a mix of experienced political leaders, organisational veterans, younger faces and leaders tasked with expanding BJP's reach among different regions and social groups.
