NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday appointed Union minister for tourism and culture G Kishan Reddy as president of its Telangana unit, creating two vacancies in the central government and further fanning speculation on possible changes in PM Modi's team ahead of Parliament's monsoon session beginning July 20.Also, former CM Babulal Marandi, former state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar and Telugu icon NTR's daughter and former Union minister D Purandeshwari were named as the new party chiefs of Jharkhand, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, respectively.Several ministers visit Nadda amid reshuffle buzz The move to name Union minister G Kishan Reddy as the Telangana BJP chief piqued interest in political circles because of a likely link to the possible and much-speculated ministerial changes at the Centre.
Going by the one man-one post principle, as also the fact that his new job will require full-scale attention, he is likely to quit the central government.Reddy replaces Bandi Sanjay Kumar, member of Lok Sabha, who is seen as having played a big role in establishing BJP as a factor in Telangana, so far an inhospitable terrain, and is a strong contender for a ministerial berth in New Delhi.Eatala Rajender, once an influential minister in the K Chandrasekhar Rao government has been made chairman of the party's election management committee.The day also saw several ministers visiting party chief J P Nadda.
Although sources said that the engagements of the party boss were not linked to ministerial changes that have been buzzed about, they provided fillip to the speculation.The new responsibility for Marandi, the first CM of Jharkhand who was once seen as a bright prospect who had to leave the party after a bitter fallout with an influential faction in New Delhi, completes his rehabilitation that got underway after his return to the fold during the Modi-Shah dispensation.Sunil Jakhar joins Himanta Biswa Sarma and Jyotiraditya Scindia as influential Congress leaders who have done well after crossing over to BJP.
Purandeshwari, also a recent import who served as a minister under Manmohan Singh, is a well-known face in a state where BJP has struggled to make a mark.The organisational rejig has come ahead of BJP's scheduled meetings on July 6, 7 and 8 when it will hold meetings of state units based in three geographical regions - east, north and south.
The possibility of Bandi Sanjay's replacement has been talked about for some time because of the perception that he, although an asset, was finding it difficult to accommodate the crossovers from other parties who are expected to be a key resource for the party in what is still considered "virgin territory" for the party.He had also struggled to get along with Eatala who proved his worth by comfortably winning as a BJP nominee the seat he had won on the ticket of the governing Bharat Rashtra Samithi (previously TRS).Those who visited Nadda included finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, labour and environment minister Bhupender Yadav, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, earth sciences minister Kiren Rijiju, law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and minister of state S P Singh Baghel.
Party sources said the senior ministers were sounded out about the performance of ministers of state under them.