The BJP on Monday appointed as many as 10 women, including former Union minister Smriti Irani, and six leaders from minority communities to its new national team under party president Nitin Nabin.
Party leaders described the newly constituted team of national office-bearers as a strategic mix of seasoned administrative and organisational experience, youthfulness, geographic diversity and broad social inclusion.
Ten experienced women leaders from different parts of the country have been appointed to the national office. Besides Irani, who has been named national general secretary, former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, former Union minister D Purandeshwari and former NCW chief Rekha Verma have been appointed national vice-presidents.
Kavita Patidar and Sangeeta Yadav have been appointed national secretaries. Roop Kumari Choudhary has been named president of the BJP's Mahila Morcha, while Priti Gandhi has been appointed a social media co-convenor.
The party said the national office has included representatives from major faiths to ensure that every major religious community in India is respected and accommodated. The team includes one Sikh member, two Christian members, and one member each from the Muslim, Jain and Parsi communities.
Former Aligarh Muslim University vice-chancellor Professor Tariq Mansoor has been appointed national vice-president, while Kunwar Basit Ali has been named president of the Minority Morcha.
Anil Antony, son of Congress veteran A K Antony, has been retained as a national secretary. Former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal has been appointed BJP national vice-president.
The party said the new appointments provide representation to voices from 23 states and Union territories across the country.
"Such balanced appointments empower the incoming national president's executive team to operate with a profound awareness of the nation's vast geographical landscape and regional nuances," the BJP said in a statement.
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The party also highlighted a special focus on the North-East, which has been given distinct prominence through the appointment of three regional leaders from Tripura, Assam and Nagaland, along with the continuation of a dedicated North-East Coordination Cell headed by Sambit Patra.
The new team also includes four tribal representatives from West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and the North-East, two of whom are women. The Scheduled Castes (SC) are represented by three members from Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh.
