Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan out of key BJP bodies; BS Yediyurappa, Devendra Fadnavis in | India News

NEW DELHI: BJP on Wednesday dropped two party seniors — former party chief and currently Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan — from the parliamentary board and brought in new faces, mirroring its current priorities and the focus on expansion in both social and geographical terms.
The new inclusions include former Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa, the veteran leader of the politically crucial Lingayats; Union shipping minister and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, first tribal from the northeast to be appointed to the top decision-making body; National Commission for Minorities chairman Iqbal Singh Lalpurafirst Sikh to have made it; Sudha Yadav, the wife of a Kargil martyr; K Laxman, the head of the party’s OBC unit who belongs to Telangana; and Satyanarayan Jatiya, a known Dalit face from Madhya Pradesh.
The recast, effected by party chief J P Nadda, has taken the total strength of the parliamentary board to 11 and is marked by an increase in the number of persons representing the “reserved” categories in relation to those from sections which are not eligible for quota.

The exclusion of Gadkari came as surprise. The minister was known in equal parts for his close proximity to the RSS leadership, said to be a crucial factor in his appointment as BJP chief, his performance as transport minister and his colourful statements. Gadkari has often appeared to be uncomfortable aligning his style with the dominant mode. In fact, the decision came close on the heels of his statement about politics losing its charm for him.
The omission of the Union minister came along with the appointment of fellow Brahmin from Nagpur, Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, to the central election committee, which has also been reconstituted after dropping former Union minister Shahnawaz Hussain and others. In 2014, Fadnavis had pipped Gadkari, bookies’ favourite, for Maharashtra chief ministership.
It also appeared to signal the BJP leadership’s confidence vis-a-vis RSS and will reinforce the estimate about the steady process of the formalisation of Union home minister Amit Shah’s status as the no. 2 in the government and the organisation.
Chouhan’s exclusion was also seen as significant but not unexpected. Although a veteran in his independent right, the MP CM, a prominent OBC face, has lost a part of the aura he had enjoyed after leading the party to back-to-back victories before the loss, by a razor thin margin, in 2019. Now he is on the same rung as UP CM Yogi Adityanath, whose supporters had also appeared to be hopeful of a hard-charging Hindutva figure getting a seat on the top decision-making body.

Apart from the consideration for the support for Lingayats, the mainstay of the party in Karnataka who remain fond of Yediyurappa, the appointment the former Karnataka CM may help balance equations in the faction-ridden state unit, especially considering that B L Santosh, the powerful general secretary in charge of organisation is already a member of the board. The former CM and Santosh have often been at loggerheads.
Laxman’s inclusion comports with the party’s plan to expand its base in Telangana and among OBCs. Its growth strategy for the TRS-governed state, which it sees as ripe for conquest, is centred on expanding its support base among the OBCs.
Though a surprise choice given her low profile, Sudha Yadav fits well with the party’s aim to expand its base among OBCs like Yadavs, who have remained aloof. In party circles, she is admired for her commitment to the organisation she has shown since Prime Minister Narendra Modi persuaded her to contest the Lok Sabha election.
Significantly, Union labour and environment minister Bhupendra Yadav, who is also from Haryana, has been appointed to the 15-strong central election committee, which in its new form will also be without known tribal face and former Union minister Jual Oram.
Former Union minister Jatiya is a party veteran from Madhya Pradesh who has handled important assignments in the state and at the Centre.
He has come in place of a fellow Dalit from Madhya Pradesh, former Union social justice minister Thavar Chand Gehlot, who quit after being appointed as Karnataka governor.
In terms of caste-wise break-up, the number of upper-caste representatives has come down since 2014 when the last parliamentary board was constituted by Amit Shah, the then party chief. It had four Brahmins in Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Ananth Kumar and Gadkari. The community is now represented by Nadda and Santosh.
Watch Gadkari, Shivraj out from BJP parliamentary body