Smriti Irani and Vasundhara Raje Return in Major BJP Reshuffle
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India's ruling party, the BJP, has announced a major reshuffle of its leadership ahead of important state elections.
Smriti Irani, a well-known former minister, has made a big comeback. She has been named a general secretary of the party.
Vasundhara Raje, a former chief minister of Rajasthan, has also returned to a top role. She is now one of the BJP's national vice presidents.
Two other senior leaders, Ram Madhav and Baijayant Panda, have also been named national vice presidents in this reshuffle.
A national vice president is one of the highest positions in the party's structure, working closely with the party's top leadership.
The reshuffle comes as the BJP prepares for several key polls in different states.
There are also reports that the party wants to woo younger voters by giving more responsibility to younger leaders.
Because of this, many are watching to see if Anurag Thakur, another popular younger leader, will also get a bigger role soon.
Smriti Irani and Anurag Thakur both lost their seats in the last general election, so their return to important posts is being seen as a notable comeback.
The BJP often changes its organisational team before big elections to bring in fresh energy and strengthen its campaign.
Analysts say these changes show the party is trying to balance experienced leaders with newer, younger faces.
Vocabulary10 words
- BJP
- a large political party in India, currently ruling the country
- reshuffle
- a change in which people have which jobs
- general secretary
- a senior manager-type role in a political party
- national vice president
- a very high position just below the top leader of a party
- chief minister
- the top leader of a state government in India
- polls
- elections where people vote
- woo
- to try hard to attract someone's support
- comeback
- a return to importance after being away
- organisational team
- the group of people who run a party's daily work
- notable
- important enough to be noticed
Quiz
Answer key
1. General secretary 2. Ram Madhav and Baijayant Panda 3. To attract younger voters
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
India's ruling party, the BJP, has announced a major _____ of its leadership ahead of important state elections.
Smriti Irani, a well-known former minister, has made a big _____.
She has been named a _____ of the party.
Vasundhara Raje, a former _____ of Rajasthan, has also returned to a top role.
She is now one of the BJP's _____.
Two other senior leaders, Ram Madhav and Baijayant Panda, have also been named national vice presidents in this _____.
The reshuffle comes as the BJP prepares for several key _____ in different states.
The party wants to _____ younger voters by giving more responsibility to younger leaders.
Smriti Irani and Anurag Thakur both lost their seats in the last general election, so their return is being seen as a _____ comeback.