BJP chief Nadda to form his new team this week

The much-awaited changes in the team of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Jagat Prakash Nadda (59), who had taken over the reins of the party from Amit Shah on the latter becoming the home minister, are expected by this week-end.

Though he was officiating as the working president of the party from June 2019 to January 2020, Nadda officially assumed the charge in January this year but he has been operating with the old team left behind by Shah.

Changes are also expected in the parliamentary board, the highest decision-making body of the party as there are four vacancies because of three deaths of Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar and M Venkaiah Naidu moving out as the country’s Vice-President.

Changes in the Union Cabinet are also on the card to fill up the vacancies created by the four leaders. Indications are the party may shift a few hands to the Cabinet. Sources said the new appointments may be at the level of the ministers of state while the Cabinet posts may go to the present juniors as only a new face is expected to become the cabinet minister.

It is customary for the new president to have a new team. The sources said he had readied the team as early as March but PM Modi advised him to delay the announcement due to the Covid outbreak. The pandemic also thwarted a meeting of the party's national council to formally approve Nadda's elevation and empower him to reshuffle the party.

In fact, the major reshuffle of the party’s central office-bearers was awaited even during the tenure of Amit Shah, but that did not happen.