The BJP's Parliamentary Board, headed by Amit Shah, currently has 10 members
New Delhi:
Amit Shah, the chief of the BJP, is trying to decide who should get a coveted spot on the party's top decision-making body. The Parliamentary Board had 11 members until July including Venkaiah Naidu; his appointment as Vice President has created an opening since he is no longer a member of the BJP.
Sources in the BJP said Mr Shah wants to replace Mr Naidu with another South Indian leader; news agency IANS reports he is keen on Defence Minsiter Nirmala Sitharaman for the board.
Mr Shah's recent selection of former union minister MN Pandey as the party's boss in the politically all-important state of Uttar Pradesh has reportedly upset a section of the party which feels it was not taken into confidence.
Who should join the parliamentary board was reportedly among the issues discussed on Wednesday evening at a meeting of the party's top leaders including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, all of whom are members of the board, which is chaired by Mr Shah.
Mr Shah had earlier reconstituted the Board when he became the BJP President. He had dropped party veterans former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
IANS reports that Mr Shah is considering appointing Ram Madhav, who is from Andhra Pradesh, as the official secretary of the Parliamentary Board.
Mr Shah also needs to reconfigure his party's Chief Election Committee, which finalises the names of candidates for all elections. Mr Naidu was also a member of this body.
The parliamentary board and the election committee are likely to be finalized this month as seven states including Gujarat and Karnataka are due to vote in the next year.
The BJP Parliamentary Board decides on issues like whether to declare a presumptive chief minister.
Mr Shah was elected unopposed as the BJP President in January 2016 for a second term of three years.
Sources in the BJP said Mr Shah wants to replace Mr Naidu with another South Indian leader; news agency IANS reports he is keen on Defence Minsiter Nirmala Sitharaman for the board.
Mr Shah's recent selection of former union minister MN Pandey as the party's boss in the politically all-important state of Uttar Pradesh has reportedly upset a section of the party which feels it was not taken into confidence.
Who should join the parliamentary board was reportedly among the issues discussed on Wednesday evening at a meeting of the party's top leaders including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, all of whom are members of the board, which is chaired by Mr Shah.
Mr Shah had earlier reconstituted the Board when he became the BJP President. He had dropped party veterans former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.
IANS reports that Mr Shah is considering appointing Ram Madhav, who is from Andhra Pradesh, as the official secretary of the Parliamentary Board.
Mr Shah also needs to reconfigure his party's Chief Election Committee, which finalises the names of candidates for all elections. Mr Naidu was also a member of this body.
The parliamentary board and the election committee are likely to be finalized this month as seven states including Gujarat and Karnataka are due to vote in the next year.
The BJP Parliamentary Board decides on issues like whether to declare a presumptive chief minister.
Mr Shah was elected unopposed as the BJP President in January 2016 for a second term of three years.
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