BJP appoints new State unit chiefs, triggers talks of reshuffle in govt. too

BJP president J P Nadda on July 4 announced changes in the leadership of four State units of the party, triggering what is being seen as the start of a big recast in party’s organisation, and the Union Council of Ministers. Babulal Marandi was appointed as the president of the Jharkhand unit of the BJP, Sunil Jakhar for Punjab and former general secretary of the BJP D Purandareswari as chief of the Andhra Pradesh unit of the party, and Union minister G Kishen Reddy as the Telangana unit president. Through the day, several Union ministers, including earth sciences minister Kiren Rijiju, his successor in the law ministry Arjun Ram Meghwal and minister of state for health S P Singh Baghel, made a beeline to Mr Nadda’s office, in the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi, adding a frisson to the speculations about a large scale change in both the party and the government in the coming days. Union minister Shobha Karandalaje is said to be the front runner for the post, as she is considered popular with party cadre, and also belongs to the Vokkaliga community, which, in the event that chief minister B S Bommai is appointed as leader of the opposition, will also balance out caste equations..@BJP4India appoints 4 state unit chiefs - @PurandeswariBJP as Andhra Pradesh BJP chief, @yourBabulal as Jharkhand BJP chief, Sunil Jakhar as Punjab unit chief and @kishanreddybjp as state unit chief for Telangana. Mr Reddy being made party chief is again a signal that the BJP wants to cement various factions of the party in order to face the Assmebly polls, and the appointment of former minister in the Bharatha Rashtra Samithi government in Telangana, Etala Rajendra as the party’s election management chief is being done to mollify him, and the Mudiraju community of Backward Classes to which he belongs.