BJP President Nitin Nabin names new national team; Vasundhara Raje, Smriti Irani get key roles
Synopsis
BJP President Nitin Nabin's first major organisational move puts former Chief Ministers Vasundhara Raje and Biplab Kumar Deb back in the national frame alongside Smriti Irani, while B.L. Santhosh holds the most powerful unelected post in the party. The reshuffle signals how the BJP intends to position itself ahead of the next round of state elections.
Key Takeaways
BJP President Nitin Nabin announced a new national organisational team on 17 August , with appointments effective immediately.
Former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and former Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat named among 13 national Vice Presidents .
Former Union Minister Smriti Irani and former Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb appointed as General Secretaries .
Santhosh retained as national General Secretary, Organisation; Piyush Goyal continues as party Treasurer.
A total of 16 leaders named as National Secretaries, covering states from Nagaland to Tamil Nadu.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Nabin on Monday, 17 August announced a sweeping overhaul of the party's national organisational structure, naming a fresh slate of office-bearers across Vice Presidents, General Secretaries, Joint General Secretaries, and National Secretaries. The appointments take effect immediately, according to a party press release.
Key Appointments at the Top
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, and veteran leader Ram Madhav have been named among the party's 13 national Vice Presidents. Former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and former Union Minister Smriti Irani are among the newly appointed General Secretaries.
Full List of Vice Presidents
The 13 national Vice Presidents also include Baijayant Jay Panda (Odisha), D. Purandeshwari (Andhra Pradesh), Rekha Verma (Uttar Pradesh), Varshaben Narendrabhai Doshi (Gujarat), Bharti Pravin Pawar (Maharashtra), Manpreet Singh Badal (Punjab), Lal Singh Arya (Madhya Pradesh), M. Nagaraja (Karnataka), Prof. Tariq Mansoor (Uttar Pradesh), and Madhuchandra Kar (West Bengal). The appointments reflect a deliberate geographic spread, with representation drawn from every major region of the country.
General Secretaries and Organisational Posts
B.L. Santhosh (Delhi) has been retained in the critical role of national General Secretary, Organisation — effectively the party's chief organisational strategist. The national Joint General Secretaries, Organisation, are Shivprakash (Mumbai) and Saudan Singh (Chandigarh).
The full list of national General Secretaries includes Vinod Tawde (Maharashtra), Sunil Bansal (Delhi), Satish Poonia (Rajasthan), Gajendra Patel (Madhya Pradesh), Harish Dwivedi (Uttar Pradesh), and Sanjay Bhatia (Haryana), in addition to Deb and Irani. Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been retained as the party's Treasurer.
16 National Secretaries Named
A group of 16 leaders has been appointed as National Secretaries, spanning states from Kerala to Nagaland. The list includes Kavita Patidar (Madhya Pradesh), K. Surendran (Kerala), Bhola Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Pradip Varma (Jharkhand), Jagdish Ishwarbhai Patel (Gujarat), Sandeep Pathak (Delhi), Phangnon Konyak (Nagaland), Sangeeta Yadav (Uttar Pradesh), Anil Antony (Kerala), Dr M. Venkateshan (Tamil Nadu), Manoj Tigga (West Bengal), Siddharth Shambhu (Bihar), Dr Swadesh Singh (Delhi), Mriganka Deo Barman (Assam), Rohan Gupta (Gujarat), and Jai Prakash (Delhi).
What This Signals
The reshuffle is the first major organisational move under President Nabin and is widely seen as an effort to balance regional representation with loyalty to the central leadership. Notably, the inclusion of former Chief Ministers in Vice Presidential roles — rather than active electoral positions — is consistent with BJP's pattern of absorbing senior leaders into party structures after electoral setbacks. The party is expected to use this reconstituted team to prepare organisational ground ahead of upcoming state assembly elections.
Point of View
A state the BJP lost in 2018 and recaptured in 2023. Smriti Irani's elevation to General Secretary after her 2024 Lok Sabha defeat in Amethi is a clear signal that the central leadership still values her as an organisational asset. The retention of B.L. Santhosh — the architect of the party's booth-level machinery — in the most critical unelected post suggests continuity in ground strategy even as the public-facing roster changes. What the list does not reveal is equally telling: the absence of any surprise inclusion from southern states beyond token appointments may indicate the BJP's southern push remains more aspiration than structure.
NationPress
17 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the new BJP national Vice Presidents named by Nitin Nabin?
BJP President Nitin Nabin named 13 national Vice Presidents, including former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, Ram Madhav, Baijayant Jay Panda, D. Purandeshwari, and others drawn from states across India. The appointments were announced on 17 August and take immediate effect.
What role has Smriti Irani been given in the new BJP team?
Former Union Minister Smriti Irani has been appointed as a national General Secretary in the BJP's newly announced organisational team. The appointment comes after her defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Amethi constituency.
Who is B.L. Santhosh and why is his retention significant?
B.L. Santhosh has been retained as national General Secretary, Organisation — the most powerful unelected post in the BJP, responsible for the party's booth-level and cadre management. His continuity signals that the party's core organisational strategy remains unchanged under the new president.
Who is the BJP's new Treasurer?
Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been retained as the BJP's national Treasurer in the new team announced by President Nitin Nabin on 17 August.
How many National Secretaries have been appointed in the BJP reshuffle?
A total of 16 leaders have been appointed as National Secretaries, including K. Surendran (Kerala), Phangnon Konyak (Nagaland), Anil Antony (Kerala), and Dr M. Venkateshan (Tamil Nadu), among others spanning multiple states and regions.
