The BJP on Monday named as many as 10 women, including former Union minister Smriti Irani, and six leaders from minority communities to its new national team under party president Nitin Nabin.
The party leaders described the newly constituted team of national office bearers as a strategic blend of seasoned administrative and organisational experience, youthfulness, geographic diversity and comprehensive social inclusion.
Ten experienced women leaders from various sections of the country have been appointed to the national office. Besides Irani, who has been made national general secretary, former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje Scindia, former Union minister D Purandeshwari and ex-NCW chief Rekha Verma are vice-presidents.
Kavita Patidar and Sangeeta Yadav have been appointed as national secretaries. Roop Kumari Choudhary has been appointed president of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha, while Priti Gandhi has been made a social media co-convenor.
The party said that to ensure that every major faith in India is respected and accommodated, the national office has given place to one Sikh member, two Christian members and one member each from Muslim, Jain and Parsi communities.
Former Aligarh Muslim University vice chancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor has been appointed national vice president. Kunwar Basit Ali has been appointed president of the Minority Morcha. Anil Antony, the son of Congress veteran A K Antony, has been retained as a national secretary.
Former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal has been appointed BJP national vice-president, The party said the new appointments ensure widespread representation, accommodating voices from 23 states and Union territories across the country.
“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 BJP said in a statement.
The party highlighted that a special focus has been placed on the North-East region, which has been given distinct prominence through the appointment of three regional leaders from Tripura, Assam and Nagaland and the continuation of a dedicated North-East Coordination Cell, which will be headed by Sambit Patra.
Furthermore, the committee has four tribal representatives from West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and the North-East, two of whom are women. Additionally, the Scheduled Castes (SC) are represented by three members from Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.