Revamp in top BJP body: Gadkari, Chouhan out; Yediyurappa in
Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have been dropped from the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Parliamentary Board. BJP National President JP Nadda has reconstituted the party's parliamentary panel and the Central Election Committee, and the names of Gadkari and Chouhan were reportedly removed from both. The Parliamentary Board is the most powerful decision-making body of the BJP.
Why does this story matter?
As per political analysts, the reshuffle of the BJP's Parliamentary Board and the Central Election Committee was aimed at making them diverse, as well as persuading upset leaders. The reconstituted bodies now have new members from the northeast, the south, and the northern state of Punjab, said reports. However, there is not a single Muslim representative on both these committees.
Shocking removal of key minister Gadkari from Parliamentary Board
Although lawmakers are frequently shifted in and out of the Parliamentary Board, Gadkari's removal is unexpected because he is regarded as one of the BJP-led central government's most prominent ministers. Gadkari, a key minister in the Narendra Modi government, had also served as the BJP chief, and the party has a practice of including previous party presidents on prominent committees.
Is BJP's restructuring intended to persuade disgruntled leaders?
The new names in the BJP's parliamentary panel include former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa and Union minister, Rajya Sabha MP, and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal. Yediyurappa was reportedly furious with the BJP after it compelled him to step down as the chief minister last year. Similarly, Sonowal, in 2021, yielded to party pressure, making way for Himanta Biswa Sarma's appointment as Assam's CM.
Other leaders on the Parliamentary Board
As for the other new names, Sudha Yadav, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, K Laxman, and Satyanarayan Jatiya have also been included in the Parliamentary Board. PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Nadda, and BL Santosh are also part of this panel.
Devendra Fadnavis makes entry into poll panel
Meanwhile, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been appointed to the BJP's Central Election Committee. To recall, in June, Fadnavis was reportedly appointed as the deputy chief minister in the Maharashtra cabinet led by rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde against his wishes. Union minister Bhupendra Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP Om Mathur, and BJP women's wing chief Vanathi Srinivasan have also been included.
