While Hema Malini has been appointed one of the party’s 11 vice-presidents, Smriti Irani has been designated among the 15 all-India secretaries.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has gone in for an image overhaul with the reconstitution of its national office-bearer list. Giving glamour a prominent place in his team, BJP president Nitin Gadkari has brought 1970s ‘Dream Girl’ Hema Malini and saas-bahu TV star Smriti Irani from Maharashtra to the national centre stage. While Hema Malini has been appointed one of the party’s 11 vice-presidents, Irani has been designated among the 15 all-India secretaries.
Most of the glamour quotient in the BJP is being provided by the Maharashtra unit of the party, with fashion designer Shaina NC, actress Kirron Kher, and Kavita Vinod Khanna also making it to Gadkari’s national executive.
This, of course, hasn’t gone down too well with long-time party workers and dyed-in-the-wool Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh cadres. Some BJP leaders working outside Mumbai expressed disappointment, saying, “There was scope to make room for more deserving candidates from the state.”
A senior leader associated with the RSS said, “At a time when the party has to build the organisation at the grassroots, they should have done away with the glamour factor, which hasn’t brought us any electoral dividends in 2004 and 2009.”
Short-listing candidates from across sections and ensuring fair representation for all castes and communities was a tightrope walk for Gadkari. The Nagpur politician also had to ensure that his home state, Maharashtra, did not get over-represented at the Centre.
Senior leader Madhav Bhandari said, “In the BJP, we adhere to the one person, one post rule. As a result, Gopinath Munde could not be considered for Gadkari’s team as he is deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha. Bal Apte has been appointed to the BJP’s parliamentary board, which is another important body.”
Bhandari said another reason for selecting the likes of Hema Malini and Irani was to ensure 33% representation for women in the central team, in keeping with the spirit of the women’s reservation bill.
Other candidates such as Tawde himself and Devendra Fadnavis could not be elevated to the national level as their services are required in the state.
But Eknath Khadse, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, and Pandurang Phundkar, his counterpart in the state council, will be invited to the national executive as ex-officio members of the forum.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}