Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 19: The BJP national high command today appointed BJP National Human Rights Cell Incharge and party’s Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, Avinash Rai Khanna as Incharge of Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP’s list of Incharge of different States was released today in New Delhi.
Mr Khanna would replace Jagdish Mukhi.
RP Singh, another senior party leader has been appointed as Deputy Incharge of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr Khanna had been instrumental in raising various issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir in Rajya Sabha including the issues of all refugees, who have been denied rights in the State.
He had recently handed over Rs 2.86 lakh to the family of Chamel Singh, which had been collected by the BJP unit of Punjab. Chamel Singh was killed in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Rai jail.
PTI adds from New Delhi.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s close confidant and BJP General Secretary Amit Shah was today appointed in charge of politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.
In a list of state in-charges, convenors and in charge of its various fronts announced today, BJP appointed its Andhra Pradesh strongman Bandaru Dattatray as one of its Vice Presidents. He has also been made the in charge of Kerala.
He replaces Sadanand Gowda as party Vice President, who resigned after becoming Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Council.
Dattatray was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government.
Shah, know for his organisational skills, will be in charge of UP which has 80 Lok Sabha seats. If BJP wants to return to power at the Centre, it will have to concentrate on Uttar Pradesh.
Party leader Ananth Kumar has been moved out Bihar and made in charge of Madhya Pradesh which will go for assembly elections in the next few months.
BJP’s Rajya Sabha member J P Nadda has been appointed in charge of Chhattisgarh which will also go for assembly polls shortly.
Former Uttar Pradesh unit chief Ramapati Ram Tripathi, considered close to party President Rajnath Singh, has been made in charge of Jharkhand.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who was recently elevated as General Secretary, has been appointed in charge of crucial Maharashtra where Congress and NCP are in power for the past several years.
In Rajasthan, which also goes for assembly polls, Kaptan rpt Kaptan Singh Solanki will continue as the party incharge.
Varun Gandhi has been appointed in charge of West Bengal where Trinamool Congress is in power.
Actor-turned MP Smiriti Irani will be the in charge of Goa while another party leader S S Ahluwalia will be in charge of Assam.
Former Delhi minister and veteran Jagdish Mukhi has been appointed as BJP’s in charge of Haryana, while Rajya Sabha member Dharmendra Pradhan has been made in charge of Bihar in place of Ananth Kumar.
Party’s Vice President Balbir Punj has been appointed as in charge of party’s affairs in Himachal Pradesh and veteran Thawar Chand Gehlot has been given charge of Karnataka where BJP was humbled by Congress.
Senior party leader and former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shanta Kumar has been given the charge of Punjab.
Among the young faces, Nalin Kohli has been given the charge of Mizoram where his father Amolak Rattan Kohli has once served as the Governor.
Shrikant Sharma will continue to be the convenor of party’s media cell who had been co-ordinating between spokespersons and journalists in putting across party’s views.
Former Delhi unit President Vijender Gupta has been made convenor of Urban Local Bodies Cell.
Party Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has been appointed co-ordinator of BJP’s Programme Implementation and Coordination Committee.
Mridula Sinha has been made in charge of Mahila Morcha, while P Murlidhar Rao has been made in charge of the Yuva Morcha. The morcha (front) in charges are different from morcha presidents.
Chandan Mitra has been made in charge of Odisha.
Rajnath Singh has also constituted several working groups for policy formulation in certain areas.
This is the first time that such groups have been set up keeping in mind the next Lok Sabha elections.
The group on neighbouring countries will be headed by Ravishankar Prasad, and the one on economy will be headed by senior leader Yashwant Sinha.
Jaswant Singh will head the policy formulation group on foreign affairs and S S Ahluwalia will lead the group on North East.
The group on agriculture will be headed by Satpal Malik and the one on security by Sesh Giri Rao. Najma Heptullah will head the group on Union Territories and Satpal Jain will lead the one on legal affairs.
The working group on SCs will be headed by Thawarchand Gehlot and the one on STs will have Jual Oran as its chairman.
Sumitra Mahajan will head the group on women and Vani Tripathi on youth. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will head the group on Minorities. (PTI)
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