New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced new party presidents in Haryana, Punjab, Tripura and Delhi.

The restructuring of party units in the four states was announced in a notification signed by the BJP national secretary Arun Singh. The new appointments come into force with immediate effect.

Harsh Malhotra, the Union Minister of State (Corporate Affairs and Road Transport) in the Modi government, has been appointed as the new party chief in Delhi. He will succeed Virendra Sachdeva, under whose watch the party swept to power in the national capital after a long hiatus.

Dr Archana Gupta has been made the new BJP president in Haryana. A radiologist by profession, she has been serving as General Secretary in the party’s state unit.

Sardar Kewal Singh Dhillon will take charge of the party in Punjab, a state headed to Assembly polls next year.

Dr Abhishek Debroy has been named as the new party chief of Tripura.

The major shake-up in the party’s top brass in respective states marks the first big reshuffle after Nitin Nabin became the party president five months ago.

These appointments also set in motion the process of selecting a new team of office-bearers, in states as well as at the Central level. The new party chiefs are expected to meet the party president Nitin Nabin and the Central leadership soon.

Out of four new appointments, the new Punjab BJP chief is expected to draw maximum eyeballs as his leadership will be keenly watched for leading the party in next year’s high-voltage electoral contest.

The border state, currently under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rule, is raring for a high-octane campaign followed by a high-stakes electoral battle as the Bhagwant Mann government battles multiple charges of corruption and lawlessness.

With Congress facing a leadership crisis, the BJP is eyeing the political space and emerging as a key player in the state. The recent switchover of AAP MPs, including Raghav Chadha, has already buoyed the BJP’s poll prospects.

–IANS

mr/dpb