In Nitin Nabin's 1st Decision As Chief, Possible Glimpse Into BJP's Future

Taking over as the BJP's national president on Tuesday, Nitin Nabin signed off on his first decisions in the post, appointing in-charges and co-in-charges for the Kerala Assembly polls and some municipal elections. The appointments are being seen as a glimpse into Nabin's potential team and what the future of the party could look like under him.

Nabin has appointed BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde as the election in-charge for the Kerala Assembly elections and an observer for the Chandigarh mayoral elections. Tawde, one of the most senior among the current general secretaries of the party, is also the party in-charge for Bihar, where the NDA managed a sweep in November. 

The latest responsibility for the leader from Maharashtra is also being seen as a sign of him getting a bigger role in the future and being a prominent face in Team Nitin, along with fellow National General Secretary Sunil Bansal. Assisting Tawde will be Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, who has been appointed the co-in-charge for the elections in Kerala.

Another big name on the list of appointments is Ram Madhav, who will be the in-charge for the Bengaluru municipal election. Madhav was a national general secretary under then BJP president Amit Shah and also the election in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir when a decision was taken to form an alliance between the BJP and the PDP in 2015. 

Madhav was sent back to the RSS in 2020, and a major indication of his return to active politics came when he was appointed as the party's election in-charge for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in 2024.

The fresh appointment indicates a larger role for Madhav in the BJP and a green signal from the RSS. 

Former Rajasthan BJP state president Satish Poonia has been appointed to assist Madhav as co-in-charge for the Bengaluru municipal corporation election. Poonia has been looking for a rehabilitation opportunity since his defeat in the Assembly elections. He played a significant role in the party's historic victory in the Haryana elections and was also given responsibility during the Bihar polls. Maharashtra MLA Sanjay Upadhyay has also been appointed a co-in-charge, along with Poonia.

Another major decision is the appointment of Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar as the in-charge for the Telangana municipal corporation elections. Shelar is one of the relatively young leaders of the Maharashtra BJP and is considered close to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He has also served as the president of the Maharashtra Yuva Morcha and has worked closely with Nabin. Former Rajasthan BJP president Ashok Parnami and Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma have been appointed as co-in-charges along with him.