Delhi BJP announces first list of 250 Mandal unit presidents in city

New Delhi: Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta on Wednesday announced the first list of 250 presidents of Mandal (ward) units, of which 80 per cent are new faces, as part of the ongoing organisational restructuring in the party.

All the Mandal presidents in the list are below 45 years of age as per the party policy, Delhi BJP media cell head Ashok Goel said.

"Among the new ward presidents, 55 belong to OBC, 36 SC and 20 women categories. There are around 200 new faces and 50 have been repeated," he said.

Party leaders said the names of remaining Mandal presidents will be announced soon.

There are a total of 280 ward units of the BJP in Delhi.

The party is also expected to declare the names of new state office bearers and presidents of 14 district units in the next few days, they said.

Goel said the process for selecting ward presidents involved an extensive feedback exercise through party-appointed observers.

Nearly 4,500 party leaders, including former and current ward presidents, councilors, legislators, parliamentarians and state office bearers, were consulted and their feedback was taken for each ward, he said.

However, a section of party leaders alleged that the feedback process was "manipulated"and "hardworking" workers were denied their due in many cases.

"There is resentment among such hardworking workers and they may register their protest at the party office," said a senior Delhi BJP leader privy to organisational restructuring.

The BJP's central leadership has appointed its national general secretary Arun Singh and Mahila Morcha president Vijaya Rahatkar as observers for organisational restructuring of the Delhi unit.

(PTI)