Smriti Irani's In Focus Again?
In the new organizational team formed under Nitin Nabin, 51 new faces have been inducted. Despite these inclusions, several prominent leaders remain unhappy with their respective roles, the source says. The first among them is Vasundhara Raje Scindia, who is reluctant to move out of Rajasthan politics and is instead keen on having her son inducted into the Central Cabinet, the source says. Similarly, leaders like Smriti Irani and Satish Poonia had also been eyeing Cabinet positions, the source says. Smriti Irani has reportedly been directed to stay active in Uttar Pradesh and prepare the ground for contesting again from Amethi, the source says.
Furthermore, she has been given hints that, based on her performance, her candidature could be considered for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh in November, along with Harish Dwivedi, a UP resident who currently serves as a Party General Secretary, the source says. However, it is an open secret that the UP Chief Minister does not favor her working style, meaning she may not get the free hand required to manage party affairs in the state as General Secretary, the source says. Meanwhile, Ram Madhav, another entrant in the new team, is also interested in securing a Rajya Sabha seat, though no firm promise has been extended to him so far, the source says.
On the other hand, Sanjay Bhatia, a sitting Rajya Sabha member who previously vacated his seat for Mohan Lal Khattar, has delivered strong results as BJP General Secretary in Haryana and has entered the national squad, largely at the behest of Manohar Lal Khattar, the source says. While some suggest Dharmendra Pradhan was also an aspirant for a key role, national party leaders have not agreed, given the timing, and he has not been signaled to take charge of Odisha, his first choice, so far, the source says. Ultimately, although this is nominally Nitin Nabin's team, numerous internal adjustments have been made across the board to balance competing interests within the party, the source says.
