New Delhi:
BJP President Rajnath Singh today announced his 76-member team that will steer the party in the national elections and as expected, Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi gets top billing.
Mr Modi has been named to the BJP's 12-member parliamentary board, the only Chief Minister to enter the select group of decision-makers headed by Mr Singh.
Mr Modi returns to the board after a gap of six years; he was removed from it by Mr Singh during his previous tenure as party president. Mr Modi is already a member of the BJP's central election committee. (
In pics: Modi's political journey)
Mr Modi's expanding influence over the party is also clear in the promotion of his aides. Amit Shah, once the Home Minister of Gujarat, has been made general secretary though he faces a slew of criminal cases. Smriti Irani, also considered close to Mr Modi, has been made one of the party's 13 vice-presidents. (
Meet the new team and
Who said what)
Mr Modi has been focusing on development and good governance in recent speeches. But the BJP's ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, is determined to rekindle a Hindutva agenda.
So Uma Bharti, who was at the heart of the BJP's campaign to build a temple at Ayodhya before she was expelled, is now a vice-president.
32-year-old Varun Gandhi, recently acquitted in cases that accused him of making hate speeches in Uttar Pradesh in the 2009 general elections, has been made a general secretary.
The party believes that Mr Gandhi could forge a connect with young voters and play a key role in the campaign for Uttar Pradesh.
His first cousin, Rahul, was made the vice-president of the Congress party earlier this year.
The RSS wanted a second term as BJP president for Nitin Gadkari, but corruption charges and a strong campaign led by Yashwant Sinha forced his exit in January; in apparent retaliation, Mr Sinha has been dropped from the parliamentary board.