BJP’s new key roles for three poll-bound states – UP, Punjab and Gujarat

The party is expected to announce state-in-charges for the other poll-bound states - which includes Manipur, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Himacha Pradesh - in due course.

Tarun Chugh-vinod tawade-Satish Poonia(From left to right) Tarun Chugh for Gujarat, Vinod Tawde for Uttar Pradesh and Satish Poonia for Punjab. (Source: File)

The Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated Tarun Chugh, Vinod Tawde, and Satish Poonia to oversee election prep work in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab respectively. All three states will vote next year and each represents a critical electoral battle for the party.

Chugh, Tawde, and Poonia – all Rajya Sabha MPs – are considered strong organisational hands, and will be tasked with ensuring the party retains power in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, while wresting Punjab from the Aam Aadmi Party. The party will announce state-in-charges for the other poll-bound states – which includes Manipur, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Himacha Pradesh – in due course.

The announcement came a day after the BJP unveiled a shake-up of its senior leadership.

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New party boss Nitin Nabin recalled ex-union minister Smriti Irani to his team and dropped Amit Malviya as his IT Cell chief – a post he held for 11 years prior – as part of that shake-up. Chhattisgarh BJP leader Deepak Mhaskey takes over that role.

Irani returned as a National General Secretary and to a leadership role for the first time since the 2024 Lok Sabha election, when she lost her seat in UP’s Amethi to the Congress. Irani won the seat – a Gandhi family bastion – from Rahul Gandhi in 2019.

Nabin also named Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal as the BJP’s treasurer and also recalled senior leader Ram Madhav, who has been made a National Vice President.

Ex-Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and her Uttarakhand counterpart, Tirath Singh Rawat, were also named to that list, as were Andhra Pradesh unit boss, Lok Sabha MP D Purandeswari and UP leaders Rekha Verma and Tariq Masnsoor.

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Veteran leader BL Santhosh has been retained as National General Secretary (Organisation).

BJP sources said the overhaul in its media cell was a pointer that the party’s thrust is now on effective social media communication in the wake of the Gen Z-driven student protests at Jantar Mantar and the rise of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 16 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism. Expertise High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including: The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls. National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus. Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities. National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements. Academic Credentials: Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions. Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More

 

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