New Delhi : A day after announcing a major reshuffle of the national office-bearers, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday appointed new state in-charges for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat, with the appointments coming into effect immediately.

According to a press note, the BJP national president Nitin Nabin appointed national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Vinod Tawde as the new in-charge of Uttar Pradesh. National secretary Jagdish Ishwarbhai Patel has been appointed co-in-charge of the state, headed to polls early next year.

For Punjab, the party has appointed national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Satish Poonia as state in-charge while Tarun Chugh, Rajya Sabha MP and the BJP’s national headquarter in-charge, has been appointed in-charge of Gujarat.

The party said the appointments would come into force with immediate effect. It added that appointments for the in-charges of other states would be made in due course and that the existing arrangements would continue until fresh appointments are announced.

The latest appointments come a day after the party president unveiled a new national team, marking a significant organisational overhaul under his leadership. The BJP’s national reshuffle brought a mix of experienced leaders and newer faces into key positions, with the party emphasising a balance between continuity and organisational renewal.

The restructuring assumes significance as the BJP prepares for a series of state-level political challenges and the longer-term run-up to the 2029 Lok Sabha election. The new organisational appointments are expected to strengthen coordination between the party’s central leadership and its state units.

The BJP’s new national team was announced on Monday. The reshuffle included several senior leaders retaining or receiving prominent organisational responsibilities, alongside the induction or return of other prominent figures.

Piyush Goyal was appointed national treasurer, a move that has drawn attention because of his role as Union Commerce and Industry Minister and his vast experience in the party organisation.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was appointed as national vice-president while former Union Minister Smriti Irani marked a comeback as the party’s General Secretary.

Alongside Irani, Roop Kumari Choudhary’s elevation as Mahila Morcha President further sought to strengthen BJP’s women‑centric outreach, particularly in states where the party is keen to expand its base.

The North-East found representation through Biplab Deb, the former Chief Minister of Tripura, who has been appointed General Secretary.

Bhopal, Aug 18: Eight labourers were killed and 23 others injured after a speeding pickup van carrying them collided head-on with an incoming truck in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, police said on Tuesday.

The accident took place at around mid-night near Chhimka village under Gohad area on National Highway-719. The labourers were returning to their villages in Uttar Pradesh after completing paddy transplantation work in Gwalior region.

According to police, 29 labourers were travelling in the pickup when the accident occurred. The injured were rescued with the help of local residents and shifted to nearby hospitals. Gohad Chauraha police station in-charge Ramnaresh Yadav said the pickup was travelling at an estimated speed of 80-90 kmph.

“Some cows were sitting on the highway and the driver tried to avoid them after they suddenly came in front of the vehicle. The pickup swerved and collided head-on with the oncoming truck,” Yadav said.

The collision was so severe that the pickup was badly mangled, trapping several labourers inside. Police personnel and local residents helped extricate the injured from the vehicle.

Five bodies have been kept at Gohad and three at Gwalior, while the process of identifying the deceased was underway, police said. The labourers had come to the Gwalior region from different villages for paddy transplantation work.

After completing the work, they were returning to their villages in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Yadav said the presence of cattle on the highway was emerging as a key factor in the accident, particularly as the pickup was travelling at high speed during the night.

“The damaged vehicles were removed from the highway, and traffic movement was restored after some disruption,” Yadav added.

Police have registered a case and started an investigation into the accident. Further details, including the identities of the deceased, are awaited.

New Delhi, Aug 18: As Jharkhand student leader Devendra Nath Mahato called off his hunger strike after the Hemant Soren government cancelled examinations and recruitment processes for government jobs following weeks of student protests, the BJP on Tuesday congratulated the students and said the Jharkhand government had been forced to ‘bow down’.

Speaking to media, BJP Bihar president Sanjay Saraogi said, “Congratulations, the students have won. The examination has been cancelled. But an organised group is operating in Jharkhand, leaking examination papers. What is the problem with a CBI enquiry? There should definitely be a CBI enquiry. The students’ future is at stake. They are on hunger strike and protesting. So, what is the problem with having a CBI enquiry?”

Bihar Minister Ramkripal Yadav said, “The government of Jharkhand had to bow down. By bowing down, it means that they have accepted that they made a mistake. The government realised that it had made a mistake. If a CBI investigation is conducted, the truth will come out.”

BJP spokesperson R.P. Singh said, “The students are absolutely right in saying that they will not withdraw their protest until a CBI enquiry is conducted. This has been their demand from the beginning. The cancellation of the examination is a separate issue, but an investigation is essential to find out who committed the scam. The Chief Minister there is running away from the investigation.”

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said, “I believe that along with the steps taken by the Jharkhand government, it is also important to calm the students. If some of their concerns remain unresolved, the Jharkhand government should engage in dialogue with them. It would be better to hold discussions and resolve the students’ issues.”

JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha said, “Absolutely, this was the demand. What happened in Delhi and what happened with the students in Ranchi is in front of all of you. You have all seen what happened with the students in Ranchi. The kind of irregularities that came to light in the examination, given the way it was conducted, this was bound to happen.”

AAP Chief National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said, “The students led a very peaceful protest, which is a good thing. The government has listened to their demands, and we hope their concerns will be addressed. We stand with the students in every way.”

Meanwhile, four students, including student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, ended their hunger strike on Tuesday after the Jharkhand government announced the cancellation of all examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and TDPL. However, the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum has announced that its agitation will continue over its demand for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.

The four protesters, Devendra Nath Mahto, Umm-e-Habiba, Prem Nayak and Kush Mahto, ended their hunger strike at around 1.15 a.m. at Ranchi Sadar Hospital after the state government’s decision. Ministers Deepika Pandey Singh and Irfan Ansari offered them juice to formally end the fast.

Speaking after ending his hunger strike, Mahto said, “Today, on the 16th day of our hunger strike, we ended our fast in a dignified manner. With the joint initiative of Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari, Minister Deepika Pandey and our MLA Jairam Mahto, we decided to suspend our hunger strike. All the demands for which we had been protesting constitutionally and peacefully have been fulfilled.”