Vinod Tawde, Uttar Pradesh poll in-charge. P. with Mr. Mr. Tawde has been retained as a party general secretary while Mr.
Vinod Tawde, Uttar Pradesh poll in-charge. File | Newly appointed national secretary Jagdish Ishwarbhai Patel has been made joint in-charge of U.P. with Mr. Tawde.Mr. Tawde has been retained as a party general secretary while Mr. Poonia has been newly appointed to that position in Mr. Nabin’s new team. Mr. Chugh, a former BJP general secretary, has been made the party’s central office in-charge in place of Rajya Sabha MP Arun Singh.“These appointments will come into effect immediately. The appointment of other State in-charges will be made in due course; meanwhile, the current Prabhari (in-charge) arrangement will continue,” a statement issued by the party said.These appointments have been made in view of the Assembly elections in 2027, sources said. While the Assembly elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are due early next year, Gujarat will go to the polls later in 2027.Mr. Tawde was earlier general secretary of the BJP in charge of Bihar. He was at the helm in the State during the 2025 Assembly elections and the subsequent installation of Samrat Choudhary as the first BJP Chief Minister of the State.Mr. Poonia has been president of the Rajasthan BJP, and handled the BJP’s affairs in Haryana, helping the party to victory in the Haryana Assembly election in 2024.In U.P., Mr. Tawde’s challenge would be to get the State unit of the BJP prepare to defend its two-term government after the party’s below par performance in the 2024 General Election, when its tally of Lok Sabha seats fell to 33 from the 62 in 2019.In Punjab, Mr. Poonia will have to enter a field where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is seeking re-election, and the Congress is still considered that party’s main rival. After declarations from the BJP’s top brass that the party would go it alone in the Punjab Assembly election, it appears that the BJP is veering towards an alliance with its erstwhile partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Published - August 18, 2026 11:49 am IST
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
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