BJP has inducted 6 new ministers to its apex organisational body. The list includes BS Yediyurappa (Former Chief Minister of Karnataka), Sarbanda Sonowal (Former Chief Minister of Assam), KL Laxman, and three other faces. In this prominent reshuffle, BJP has ousted Union Minister and former BJP President Nitin Gadkari, followed by Senior leader and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan from its parliamentary board. Yogi Adityanath (Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh) failed to make it to the final list along with Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Chouhan.
The final Members of BJP’s Parliamentary Board:
- BJP National President- Jagat Prakash Nadda
- Prime Minister- Narendra Modi
- Defence Minister- Rajnath Singh
- Home Minister- Amit Shah
- National general secretary (organisation)-BL Santosh.
- Former Vice President of BJP- Sudha Yadav
- Former Union minister- Satyanarayan Jatiya
- Former BJP President from Telangana- K Laxman
- Chairperson of National Commission for Minorities (NCM)- Iqbal Singh Lalpura
- Former Chief Minister of Karnataka- BS Yeddyurappa
- Former Chief Minister of Assam- Sarbanda Sonowal
It is an attempt by the saffron party to make the onboard look regionally and socially rich and representative. JP Nadda is momentarily heading the party’s parliamentary board.
BJP’s Parliamentary Board: A balance between Caste & Region
Lalpura would be the first Singh candidate to become a part of the BJPs Parliamentary board. Sudha Yadav and Laxman are from Other Backward Classes(OBC), Jatiya comes from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Sonowal represents Tribals. Including Yediyurappa (Lingayat leader) puts the spotlight on the fact that BJP has shown efforts to honour and reward old workers and values every individual that comes from a different background. The party has established a stature of power and a balance between caste and region
“There is also an emphasis on diversity. Sonowal is from the Northeast and Laxman and Yediyurappa hail from the South. In Lalpura, there is a Sikh representing minorities,” a leader said.
Devendra Fadnavis (Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra), Om Mathur, Bhupender Yadav (Union Minister), Om Mathur, and its women wing chief Vanathi Srinivasan are the members of the Central Election Committee which have been revised by the BJP. Whereas, Shahnawaz Hussain ( Former Union Minister) and Jual Oram are no longer members of the CEC.
Why the Removal?
The idea behind the removal of Chouhan ( Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh) eventually lies behind the growing murmurs of him being replaced ahead of state assembly polls (next year). Adding Fadnavis to the list has, however, imparted a strong hold over Maharashtra’s territory.
The other new board members are K Laxman, Sudha Sadav and Satyanarayan Jatiya while the new entrants to the CEC are Rajasthan leader Om Mathur and BJP women wing chief Vanathi Srinivasan besides Fadnavis and Bhupender Yadav.
Since 2020, it’s the first time that the board got altered under the presidency of Nadda. Eventually, The reason behind the vacancies is the unfortunate death of Arun Jaitely and Sushma Swaraj. Venkiah Naidu had to leave to take charge as Vice President. Similarly, Thaawarchand Gehlot left after becoming State Governor.
After the rejigging, CEC has 15 leaders and the board has filled its full strength of 11 members. ( All parliamentary members also hold a position in CEC. )
No more implications of Age Bars?
BJP’s decision of retiring the ministers who are above 75 years and denying them election tickets, has been put under a question mark. Various remarks have been made on the age of Yediyurappa, 79, and Jatiya, 76, on the board.
“Though it was said about not giving tickets to those above 75 years, nothing has been said about those who can be part of the board or election committee,” a party leader pointed out.
