BJP announces its leaders in charge of U.P., Punjab and Gujarat ahead of Assembly elections in 2027

Former Union Minister Smriti Irani, former Tripura CM Biplab Deb, Sunil Bansal, Vinod Tawde, Satish Poonia were among the eight new national general secretaries. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (August 17, 2026) announced a new team under its chief Nitin Nabin, naming 13 vice-presidents including Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Ram Madhav, D Purandeshwari. Former Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat, former Union Minister Bharti Pawar, Manpreet Singh Badal, and Tariq Mansoor were also named as vice-presidents. Former Union Minister Smriti Irani, former Tripura CM Biplab Deb, Sunil Bansal, Vinod Tawde, Satish Poonia were among the eight new national general secretaries announced, as the party chose to retain B.L. Santhosh as national general secretary (organisation).Additionally, the party named Shivprakash and Saudan Singh as national joint general secretaries (organisation)Meanwhile, Gajendra Patel, Harish Dwivedi and Sanjay Bhatia were appointed national general secretaries. The saffron party appointed Union Minister Piyush Goyal as the treasurer. Former AAP leader Sandeep Pathak has been named among 16 national secretaries, apart from Anil Antony, and Rohan Gupta.

Former Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Friday. | It also accused the Centre of protecting the culprits. As part of the campaign, a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be signed by people across India. “It appears that instead of ensuring that those responsible for wrongdoing against bhagwanji are punished, attempts are being made to protect them. It seems that the SIT and the FIR are merely an attempt to mislead the public and bury the matter. Eight junior workers have been arrested while efforts are being made to shield the powerful,” reads the draft of the letter shared by the party. “Prime Minister, please do not do this. Those guilty of stealing from the Mandir of Bhagwan Ram should be hanged. Protecting them is ‘mahapaap’ (grave sin),” the draft said. The AAP has been targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Prime Minister over the issue. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that the party will organise a ‘Sunderkand’ [from the Ramayana] recitation at Japanese Park in Sector 10 of Rohini at 10 a.m., after which the campaign will be launched.“Eight low-level individuals have been arrested and sent to jail, while every effort is being made to shield the big names. In such a situation, the people must raise their voice. I appeal to all ‘bhakts’ and followers of bhagwan Ram to attend in large numbers. After the Sunderkand recitation, we will seek the blessings of bhagwan Hanuman and launch a signature campaign,” Mr. Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference. Published - July 11, 2026 01:54 am IST

BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav releasing a souvenir at a programme in Vijayawada on Thursday. | V.S. Giri BJP State president P.V.N. Madhav on Thursday urged party workers to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots and strive to secure the party’s representation in every village across the State.Addressing a State-level workshop on the ‘Mana Ooru – Mana Jenda’ campaign, at the State party office in Vijayawada, Mr. Madhav said every party worker should aspire to become a public representative, whether as a ward member, sarpanch, MPTC and ZPTC member, or a representative in the cooperative institutions.Mr. Madhav said the BJP had evolved into the country’s largest political party by forming governments in 21 States, and asserted that its organisational model and governance practices became a benchmark for other political parties.He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rise through the party ranks reflected the BJP’s culture of recognising dedication and hard work. He added that sustained development and good governance, rather than political expediency, had earned the confidence of the people.Highlighting the Union government’s flagship programmes, Mr. Madhav cited the Swachh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, rural infrastructure development, household drinking water supply, maternal and child welfare initiatives and financial assistance to local bodies as examples of development-oriented governance.Emphasising the party’s commitment to Antyodaya, he said the benefits of development should reach the last person in society. He called upon BJP workers to take the Central government’s welfare initiatives to every household and work towards hoisting the BJP flag in every village by expanding the party’s organisational base and strengthening public outreach.Marking one year since assuming charge as the State president, Mr. Madhav was felicitated by leaders. He also released a commemorative souvenir highlighting the party’s activities during the past year.The workshop was attended by BJP State general secretaries Matta Prasad and Ramesh Naidu, State Kisan Morcha president Kumaraswamy, State vice-presidents Bitra Siva Narayana, Sandi Reddy Srinivas and Kola Anand. The programme was coordinated by Mr. Prasad, while Karanam Sanjeev made a digital presentation on the campaign. Published - July 09, 2026 07:58 pm IST