BJP to hold office-bearers' meeting on 18 October; party national executive meet likely on 7 November

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its National Executive on Thursday with many new names finding mention in the 80-member list. The party has decided to hold its national office-bearers meeting on 18 October while the meeting of the National Executive committee is likely to be held on 7 November. The presidents of all morchas too will be present in the meeting of office-bearers which will be presided by party chief Jagat Prakash Nadda. While the meeting of office-bearers has been held from time to time, the meeting of the national executive has been “delayed” for almost a year and a half. The national executive includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former party chief and union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari veteran leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal. The party is gearing up for the in-person meeting with all the members. The new list of national executive does not include some leaders including Subramanian Swamy, Hukum Dev Narayan Yadav, Vinay Katiyar, Varun Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi, SS Ahluwalia, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Vijay Goel and Chaudhary Birender Singh. Many leaders were awaiting the national executive list in hope of making to it. In 2010, the party had introduced 30 percent reservation for women in the national executive. COVID-19 has been cited as a reason for the delay in holding a meeting of the national executive though there is feeling in sections of the party of decision-making getting “centralised”. While meetings of many state executives including morchas have taken place, a meeting of the national executive was awaited as also names of new members. NEC also has 50 special invitees, 179 permanent invitees which includes chief ministers, deputy chief ministers, leaders of the legislative party in assemblies and councils and former chief ministers and former deputy chief ministers, chiefs of frontal organisaitons, spokespersons, state prabharis/ sah prabharis and state presidents besides general secretaries (organisation).