Former Union minister Smriti Irani has returned to the BJP’s top organisational leadership, with party president Nitin Nabin appointing her as a national general secretary in a reshuffle announced on Monday.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has been appointed national treasurer.
The new team includes 12 women, with six among the 13 national vice presidents. Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is among the women appointed as vice presidents.
Irani returns to a senior party role for the first time since June 2024, when she was dropped from the Union Cabinet after losing the Amethi Lok Sabha seat to Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma. She had defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the 2019 election.
A major change has also been made to the BJP’s IT cell. Amit Malviya, who headed the unit for 11 years, has been replaced by Deepak Mhaskey of Chhattisgarh. Anil Baluni will continue as the party’s media in-charge.
Former AAP leader Sandeep Pathak, who joined the BJP in April along with Raghav Chadha, has been appointed a national secretary. Kerala leaders K Surendran and Anil Antony are also among the 16 national secretaries.
BJP leader Sambit Patra has been appointed coordinator for the Northeast. Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Rajasthan BJP leader Satish Poonia are also part of the new leadership team. BL Santosh will continue as national general secretary (organisation).
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat, BJP Andhra Pradesh chief D Purandeswari, Gujarat leader Varshaben Narendrabhai Doshi, former Union minister Bharti Pravin Pawar and former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal have also been included.
Nabin said the team combined “experience and energy” and would strengthen the organisation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guidance. PM Modi also congratulated the new office-bearers, citing their organisational experience and grassroots connect.
The reshuffle comes seven months after Nabin replaced JP Nadda as BJP president and ahead of a widely expected Union Cabinet reshuffle. The new team combines younger leaders and women with experienced political figures as the BJP prepares for key elections.