With social media emerging as the new political battleground, removing BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya is one of the most telling changes. Following the Jantar Mantar protest, Mr Malviya's style attracted criticism from within the Sangh clan. There was also a growing view that his aggressive social media approach was proving counterproductive. — Internet

Alerted by the sharp message emerging from the Gen Z-led protests, the BJP now appears to be recalibrating. The organisational changes carried out on Monday signal more than a routine redistribution of posts.

Under its 45-year-old president Nitin Nabin, the BJP has attempted to balance continuity with a clear infusion of younger leadership. The reshuffle is also an acknowledgement that the nation's vocabulary is changing and that the new generation cannot be addressed in the tired and cliched political language of the past.

While retaining several experienced leaders, the new 65-member national team marks a generational shift, with 51 new office bearers. Six are below 40 and another 15 are in the 40-49 age bracket. Yet, the party has not purged the old guard wholesale. Instead, it has brought back leaders like Vasundhara Raje, Ram Madhav, and Smriti Irani who were kept at a distance from the party's central structure. This signals the party's intent to use the mass appeal of Ms Raje and Ms Irani, while Ram Madhav could serve as the crucial bridge between the party and the RSS.


With social media emerging as the new political battleground, removing BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya is one of the most telling changes. Following the Jantar Mantar protest, Mr Malviya's style attracted criticism from within the Sangh clan. There was also a growing view that his aggressive social media approach was proving counterproductive.

Mr Malviya has been replaced by mild-mannered 58-year-old chemistry professor-turned-politician Deepak Mhaskey from Chhattisgarh. The inclusion of Priti Gandhi, BJP social media communicator; Alok Bhatt, digital influencer; Shiwanand Dwivedi, researcher and ideological communicator; and Arun Yadav, BJP's former Haryana IT cell chief, indicates the BJP's attempt to reorient its political narrative in the digital space.

The appointment of 35-year-old Vadodara MP Hemang Joshi as BJP's youth wing chief suggests that the party is now looking beyond a handful of high-profile leaders. Yet the real test lies ahead. Will the younger new team be allowed to develop an independent political voice or will it be confined to the timeworn, traditional scripts doled out by a tightly centralised party? More importantly, will the powerful old guard, with its entrenched grip over the organisation, continue to crack down on dissent and turn a deaf ear to the voices rising from the streets?

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