India: BJP appoints new state presidents in AP, Telangana, Punjab and Jharkhand
Purandeswari, Kishan Reddy, Sunil Jakhar and Babulal Marandi at the helm
New Delhi: In view of the Lok Sabha elections to be held in 2024 and the upcoming Assembly elections, the BJP in an organisational reshuffle on Tuesday, appointed new state presidents in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab and Jharkhand.
BJP President J.P. Nadda has appointed former Union Minister D Purandeshwari as the new state President of Andhra Pradesh.
Purandeswari, who joined the BJP in 2014, is daughter of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder N. T. Rama Rao. She replaced Somu Veerraju.
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy has been made the President of Telangana.
Kishan Reddy, currently Union minister for tourism and culture, replaced Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is also an MP.
Elected as the MP from Secunderabad in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kishan Reddy is a former three-time MLA. He was president of the BJP in undivided Andhra Pradesh from 2010 to 2014, and its Telangana chief from 2014 to 2016.
Kishan Reddy is seen as acceptable to the different factions within the BJP Telangana unit. He also enjoys a very cordial relationship with central party leaders, including Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda.
Kumar, on the other hand, had frequent run-ins with various leaders, especially senior names who recently crossed over to the BJP from the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). He was also seen as aggressive and abrasive towards rival leaders within the BJP.
The change of guard may also be another sign of the softening dynamics between the BRS and BJP, with Kishan Reddy more likely to make friends across the aisles. Telangana is set for elections later this year, with the BJP making impressive strides in the state and hoping to build on the same.
Assembly elections in Telangana are due to be held later this year while Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled along with Lok Sabha elections next year.
Sunil Jakhar, who switched to BJP from Congress, has been given the command of Punjab, whereas former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi has been appointed as the new president of Jharkhand.
In view of the assembly elections to be held this year, the BJP high command has appointed current Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy as the state president in Telangana, while former state minister Etela Rajendra has also been appointed as the chairman of the Election Management Committee.
Along with this, Nadda has also announced the appointment of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy as a member of the party’s national executive.