BJP set for major reshuffle, will Vasundhara Raje, Shivraj Singh Chouhan move to Centre?

BJP president Amit Shah

The BJP is gearing up for major changes in the party’s central organisation, with party chief Amit Shah expected to begin the exercise soon, sources revealed.  They added that while there have been demands from factions in state units for leadership changes, the central leadership is unlikely to move any CM for now. With a reshuffle in the Union Cabinet on cards, there had been speculation that the CMs of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh could be moved to the Centre. But BJP sources said no such change is expected now.

Even in Haryana and Gujarat, rebel groups have been expecting a change of leadership in their respective states. But according to sources, the leadership has no plans to replace the CMs in these states too. “Usually, the BJP does not change chief ministers in an election-bound state. Since we have begun preparations for the 2019 elections, it is unlikely that the party would move its CMs in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan or Chhattisgarh. Such changes would have impact on the perception about the party and its governments,” said a BJP leader.

However, there will be “huge changes” in the organisation, said top sources. There could be changes in the Parliamentary Board and the Central Election Committee, apart from national office-bearers and in the party’s national executive. Vacancies were created in the organisation after the party formed the government in UP and Uttarakhand. UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet ministers Mahendra Singh, Srikant Sharma and Siddharth Nath Singh vacated posts of secretaries in the organisation. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma vacated posts of vice-presidents.