Sarbananda Sonowal included in BJP’s most powerful Parliamentary board

Sonowal’s inclusion has been interpreted by several party insiders as a result of his growing proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The former CM relinquished his chair without any sign of rebellion and patiently waited for several months till Modi inducted him as a Cabinet minister.

The Bharatiya Janata Party today rejigged it’s all powerful 11-member Parliamentary Board with a handful of surprise omissions and inclusions. Two of the most notable leaders to exit the board, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda, are Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

On the other hand, two former chief ministers—BS Yediyurappa and Sarbananda Sonowal—have found place in the board. Contrary to popular expectations, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was not included in the board. Apart from Modi, Shah, Nadda, Yediyurappa and Sonowal, other members of the board are Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP senior leaders K. Laxman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Sudha Yadav, Satyanarayan Jatia and BL Santosh. Nadda will head the board while Santosh is the secretary.

Sonowal lost his chair as Assam Chief Minister to Himanta Biswa Sarma after the assembly election in May 2021. Though the party returned to power, most political observers credited the superlative performance of the party to the popularity of Sarma. The party brass eventually gave in to the ambition of Sarma who had made no secret of his desire to replace Sonowal. Two months later, Karnataka CM Yediyurappa was forced to resign amid calls for his removal by a section of the BJP in the state.

This move to induct both former chief ministers into the parliamentary board has been seen as a move to placate the two leaders. Ironically, this board decides the fate of chief ministers in the state.

Sonowal’s inclusion has been interpreted by several party insiders as a result of his growing proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The former CM relinquished his chair without any sign of rebellion and patiently waited for several months till Modi inducted him as a Cabinet minister.

Meanwhile, the BJP also made changes in its Central Election Committee (CEC), adding Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Rajya Sabha member Om Mathur and head of BJP’s women wing Vanathi Srinivasan. Union Minister Jual Oram and former Bihar Minister Shahnawaz Hussain have been removed from the CEC.