Hyderabad: BJP on Wednesday cleared its organisational structure in Telangana, ending months of ambiguity over the roles of senior leaders handling the state. Sunil Bansal will continue as Telangana in charge, while Abhay Patil and former National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma have been appointed co-in charges.The appointments define the party’s leadership structure for the next three years as it prepares for local-body elections and the next assembly polls.Sharma’s appointment is significant as she is the first woman leader to be given a co-in charge role for Telangana, according to party sources.The new arrangement also brings clarity to the roles of Bansal and Patil, who had both been overseeing BJP affairs in Telangana.Bansal was appointed Telangana in charge by then national president JP Nadda in Aug 2022 and oversaw the party’s affairs during the 2023 assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He will now also handle West Bengal.Patil, a BJP MLA from Belagavi South in Karnataka, was appointed Telangana election in charge in March 2024 to oversee campaign strategy and grassroots mobilisation for Lok Sabha polls. In Aug 2024, his role was expanded to include Telangana party affairs as BJP prepared to strengthen its organisation ahead of local body elections.His expanded role led to some ambiguity over the division of responsibilities between the two leaders. Party sources said there was a broad understanding that Bansal was handling organisational matters while Patil focused more on political affairs. However, the lack of a clearly defined hierarchy reportedly made coordination difficult.Bansal’s visits to Telangana also reduced after Patil’s role was expanded, sources said.Under the new arrangement, Bansal will remain the state in charge, with Patil and Sharma functioning as co-in charges. Chandrashekhar Tiwari will continue as organisational secretary, providing continuity to the party’s organisational machinery.The new team will oversee BJP’s preparations for upcoming local body elections while laying the groundwork for the next assembly polls.BOXTelugu leaders get Tamil Nadu rolesHyderabad: In Tamil Nadu, Telugu-origin leaders Ram Madhav and DK Aruna have been appointed in-charge and co-in charge, respectively. They are the only two leaders in the latest appointments to have been given the combination of responsibilities for a state unit. Telangana BJP vice president Kasam Venkateswarlu is also given task as co-in charge for Karnataka unit.In Andhra Pradesh, former Tamil Nadu MLA Vanathi Srinivasan has been appointed co-in charge, while former Madhya Pradesh minister Arvind Singh Bhadouria has been named in charge.Former Telangana in charge Tarun Chugh has been appointed co-in charge of Gujarat.
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