The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday appointed Sunil Bansal, one of the party's key election managers, as its national general secretary and in charge of three opposition-ruled states -- West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana -- in run-up to the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
Bansal, who was the party's general secretary (organisation) in Uttar Pradesh, successfully handled three back-to-back elections in the state -- 2017 and 2022 assembly polls and 2019 parliamentary elections.
He will be replaced by Dharampal in Uttar Pradesh as the party's general secretary (organisation). UP's joint general secretary (organisation) Karamveer will be party's general secretary (organisation) in Jharkhand in place of Dharampal, a party statement said.
Bansal's appointment came a day after the BJP lost power and its ally Janata Dal-United in Bihar, and is seen as an effort to strengthen the saffron party's position and prospects in these three states where it made substantial gains in the last general elections.
He has worked closely with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and enjoys good rapport with the senior BJP leader.
Bansal was also involved in managing UP in 2014 elections as Shah's associate.
His good equations with the party's top brass worked in his favour having final word on various issues in the state.
With his departure from Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will have more space to wield his influence in organisational affairs. Bansal, who enjoys support of senior leaders in the BJP, and Adityanath were not on same page multiple occasions.
In a balancing act, Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who also enjoys good rapport with the BJP's national leadership, was appointed leader of the party's legislature party in the Legislative Council.
He replaced BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh.
Bansal, who hails from Kotputli has been Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-full timer from his childhood days and has worked extensively in its student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
He has worked as its national joint general secretary (organisation).
As state incharge, Bansal has replaced the party's three general secretaries Kailash Vijayvargiya in West Bengal, Tarun Chugh in Telangana and D Purandareswari in Odisha.
