The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced its new national office-bearers under party president Nitin Nabin, ahead of the Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand Assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
The new team includes 13 national vice-presidents and eight national general secretaries. Two Muslim leaders from Uttar Pradesh have received prominent responsibilities, with Tariq Mansoor being appointed national vice-president and Kunwar Basit Ali being made national president of the BJP Minority Morcha.
Tariq Mansoor Named National Vice-President
Dr Tariq Mansoor, a former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has been appointed one of the BJP’s national vice-presidents. He is also a nominated member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.
Mansoor previously served as principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital. He is also associated with the BJP’s outreach among Pasmanda Muslims and has emerged as one of the party’s prominent Muslim faces in Uttar Pradesh.
His elevation comes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where the BJP is expected to focus on expanding its support among different social groups.
Basit Ali Gets Minority Morcha Responsibility
The BJP has also appointed Kunwar Basit Ali as the national president of its Minority Morcha.
Basit Ali has been active in the party’s minority outreach programmes in Uttar Pradesh. He has been associated with initiatives such as Qaumi Chaupal, Modi Mitra and outreach programmes involving madrasas and dargahs.
Both Mansoor and Basit Ali are from Uttar Pradesh, making their appointments particularly significant ahead of the state Assembly elections.
New BJP National Office-Bearers
The BJP’s new national vice-presidents include Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Tirath Singh Rawat, Ram Madhav, Baijayant Panda, D Purandeswari, Rekha Verma, Varshaben Narendrabhai Doshi, Bharati Pawar, Manpreet Singh Badal, Lal Singh Arya, Prof M Nagaraj, Tariq Mansoor and Madhuchandra Kar.
The party has appointed Vinod Tawde, Sunil Bansal, Biplab Kumar Deb, Smriti Irani, Satish Poonia, Gajendra Patel, Harish Dwivedi and Sanjay Bhatia as national general secretaries.
B L Santosh will continue as the national general secretary (organisation), while Piyush Goyal has been appointed national treasurer.
Focus on Uttar Pradesh Ahead of 2027 Polls
The inclusion of two Muslim leaders from Uttar Pradesh in key national positions is being seen as part of the BJP’s wider social outreach strategy.
The move comes as the party prepares for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where the opposition, particularly the Samajwadi Party, has been seeking to consolidate support among backward classes, Dalits and minorities through its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) strategy.
By giving prominent positions to Muslim leaders with links to the Pasmanda community and grassroots minority outreach, the BJP appears to be seeking to strengthen its engagement with sections of the Muslim electorate while expanding its broader social coalition.
