BJP Reshuffle: New Faces, Old Power Centres — Who Really Controls the Party?

The BJP has unveiled a sweeping organisational reshuffle, with more than 60% of its office-bearers being new faces. But behind the numbers are some striking political signals. Three questions dominate this week’s The Bottomline: Who got dropped — and why? Why is Smriti Irani the only General Secretary in the new team? And does this reshuffle represent a genuine power shift, or simply a rearrangement of the BJP’s organisational machinery? With veteran leaders missing, Amit Malviya out of the social media setup, Piyush Goyal taking over as treasurer and Smriti Irani making a prominent return, the BJP appears to be signalling a stronger focus on cadre loyalty, younger leadership and the next electoral battle. But the biggest question remains unanswered: Who will control the real levers of power? The Parliamentary Board and Central Election Committee are yet to be reconstituted. And that may tell us far more about the BJP’s 2029 strategy than this reshuffle does.