BJP Empowers Women After Modi’s I-Day Call, Also Reshuffles Parliamentary Board

Within two days of PM Narendra Modi’s making a pitch for women empowerment, the BJP appointed two women — BJP Mahila Morcha chief Vanathi Srinivasan and former Haryana MP Sudha Yadav — to the party’s 15-member Central Election Committee.  Both Vanathi, who is also a Tamil Nadu MLA and Yadav belong to the OBC. In another significant move veteran BJP leader BS Yediyuruppa, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Sudha Yadav, Union Minister  Sarabananda Sonowal. OBC Morcha chief K Laxman, B L Santosh, Satyanarayan Jatiya and former chairman of Minorities Commission Iqbal Singh Lalpura have been appointed to the 11-member parliamentary board. It also includes party chief J P Nadda, PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The board significantly saw the exit of Nitin Gadkari, probably making way for Fadnavis and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan making way for former Union Minister Jatiya.

While most of the members are common to both the parliamentary board and the CEC, the party has inducted a mix of young and experienced hands. While Fadnavis , Yediyuruppa, Sudha Yadav and B L Santosh are on both the panels , veteran party functionary Om Mathur has a place only on the CEC.