The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced a significant organisational reshuffle on 17 August 2026 under the leadership of national president Nitin Nabin. The new team includes 13 vice-presidents, eight national general secretaries, and 16 national secretaries. Key appointments feature Smriti Irani as national general secretary, Ram Madhav as vice-president, and Piyush Goyal as treasurer. Several experienced leaders were retained, while others, including Amit Malviya and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, were dropped from the central team.
According to The Hindu, the reshuffle brings Vasundhara Raje Scindia, D Purandeshwari, and Manpreet Singh Badal into vice-president roles, while former Union Minister Smriti Irani and former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb join as national general secretaries.
The party also named Shivprakash and Saudan Singh as national joint general secretaries (organisation), and Sandeep Pathak, a recent entrant from AAP, as one of the national secretaries.
As reported by Hindustan Times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the new office-bearers, expressing confidence in their ability to strengthen the party and focus on public service. The reshuffle comes seven months after Nitin Nabin became the BJP’s 12th national president and precedes key state elections, including in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
Coverage revealed that Smriti Irani’s return to the party’s upper ranks marks her first major organisational role since her 2024 Lok Sabha defeat. Ram Madhav, previously a general secretary, is now among 13 vice-presidents, six of whom are women. The reshuffle also saw Deepak Mhaskey replace Amit Malviya as IT Cell chief, while Anil Baluni remains media in-charge.
In the middle of the new appointments, analysis showed that the BJP’s focus is on youth and women, with Hemang Joshi, 35, and Rituraj Kishore Sinha, 46, representing younger leadership. The party retained only two of its previous eight general secretaries, Vinod Tawde and Sunil Bansal, both of whom played key roles in recent state elections.
“This newly appointed team brings together organisational experience, energy and grassroots connect. I am confident they will give their best in strengthening our Party and focussing on public service,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in his congratulatory message.
As highlighted by Financial Express, the new structure gives significant representation to women, with six of the 13 vice-presidents and several secretaries being women. The appointments also reflect a mix of experienced leaders and new faces, with organisational representation from various states and communities.
At the start of the reshuffle, reporting indicated that Bandi Sanjay Kumar, a prominent Telangana leader and former national general secretary, was dropped from the central team. Smriti Irani’s return as general secretary and Vasundhara Raje’s appointment as vice-president were highlighted as key moves to strengthen the party’s national presence.
In the end, further details emerged about the inclusion of new faces such as Kavita Patidar, K Surendran, Manoj Tigga, and Sandeep Pathak as national secretaries. The reshuffle is seen as a strategic move ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, aiming to balance experience with fresh leadership.
“With a blend of experience and energy, this team will give new momentum to the organisation under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Nitin Nabin stated in his message to party workers.
At the conclusion of the day’s developments, news confirmed that BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla resigned, citing financial and personal reasons. His departure came just before the official announcement of the new office-bearers, adding to the day’s significant organisational changes.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.