Major Reshuffle in BJP Central Leadership, Nadda Names 13 Vice Presidents, 9 General Secretaries

Anil Antony, the son of senior Congress leader AK Antony, and former AMU vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor have assumed significant roles in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. Anil Antony and Tariq Mansoor have been appointed as Vice Presidents of the party. Additionally, Bandi Sanjay, the former president of the Telangana state unit, has been appointed as the National General Secretary, along with Radha Mohan Agarwal, a lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh.

The newly appointed office-bearers form part of the larger leadership structure that includes 13 Vice Presidents, nine General Secretaries, with BL Santhosh overseeing the party organization as the in-charge, and 13 Secretaries.

As the leadership roles shift within the BJP, some prominent names have been dropped from their positions. Leaders such as CT Ravi from Karnataka, Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, and Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh are no longer serving as General Secretaries. Speculations suggest that they might be contesting in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Anil Antony's journey to the BJP began in April of the current year when he joined the party in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal. His departure from the Congress party occurred in January, after he expressed critical remarks about the party during the BBC raids incident concerning the documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tariq Mansoor, the former Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), resigned from his position earlier this year after being nominated as a member of the UP Legislative Council. His appointment to a new role within the BJP is seen as a strategic move to reach out to the Pasmanda Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.

In the revamped structure, BL Santhosh will continue as the National General Secretary, while Shiv Prakash retains his position as the Joint General Secretary. Many other office-bearers have been retained in their respective roles in the party's new list.

Former Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, has been removed from his position as a Vice President within the party.

As the BJP's leadership undergoes changes, the party aims to strengthen its organizational structure and expand its outreach to various communities and regions in preparation for the forthcoming political challenges.