BHOPAL/Three leaders from Madhya Pradesh — VD Sharma (Vishnu Datt Sharma), Gajendra Patel and Lal Singh Arya — have been assigned key organisational responsibilities in the BJP’s new national team announced by party president Nitin Nabin on Monday.
VD Sharma, a second-term Lok Sabha member from Khajuraho and former president of the MP BJP unit, has been appointed All Cells Coordinator (also referred to as National Coordinator of the Cell Cluster). Sharma, known for his organisational skills, will oversee the party’s various cells.
Gajendra Patel, a prominent Scheduled Tribe leader and second-term Lok Sabha member from Khargone, has been named National General Secretary. He joins a team of eight national general secretaries, including Smriti Irani, Vinod Tawde, Sunil Bansal, Biplab Kumar Deb, Satish Poonia, Harish Dwivedi and Sanjay Bhatia.
Lal Singh Arya has been appointed National Vice-President. A senior Dalit leader and former Minister of the State, Arya previously served as National President of the BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha. He is among the 13 national vice-presidents in the new line-up.
The appointments form part of a broader reshuffle under Nabin, featuring a mix of experienced leaders and newer faces. Two leaders with links to Madhya Pradesh — Saudan Singh and Tarun Chugh, a Rajya Sabha MP from the state — have also been appointed Joint General Secretary (Organisation) and Central Office In-Charge, respectively.
Other leaders from the state who have been given national roles include Rajya Sabha MP Kavita Patidar, who has been appointed National Secretary; Bansilal Gurjar, who has been named National President of the BJP Kisan Morcha; and Ashish Agrawal, who has been appointed Media Co-Convenor. The announcement indicates that six to eight leaders from the state have found a place in the national organisational set-up.
The changes take effect immediately. Nabin described the new team as a “blend of experience and energy” that would strengthen the organisation in pursuit of the vision of a “Viksit Bharat.”