As party chief Nitin Nabin unveiled his national organisational team on Monday, Amit Malviya was replaced by Deepak Mhaskey from Chhattisgarh . Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP IT and social media department since 2015, finds himself out of the spotlight.
Even after Nitin Nabin became the president, Malviya had discussed his future role. Sources state that several of the names considered for the role were suggested by Malviya himself. Sources say it was not feasible to accommodate Amit Malviya, who is also a Brahmin, in the role of General Secretary. He is not senior enough in age to be appointed as a national vice-president or entrusted with the responsibilities of a secretary, they added. Opponents accuse him of orchestrating systematic social media attacks against leaders of rival parties. Conversely, BJP leaders maintain that as the IT cell chief, it was Malviya’s responsibility not only to prominently project the party and government’s narrative but also to blunt attacks from the opposition – a task he performed admirably, they say.
He has not only been in charge of social media and the IT cell for 11 years, but has also served as the co-in-charge for West Bengal, the party said. He had discussed the matter with the top leadership following the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha election results.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta takes a group selfie with West Bengal Minister Nisith Pramanik, Union MoS Sukanta Majumdar and BJP member Amit Malviya during the swearing-in ceremony of the new West Bengal government Photo Credit: ANI According to sources, Amit Malviya had himself expressed a desire on several occasions to be relieved of this responsibility. Sources said he even held extensive discussions with the party leadership regarding potential successors. The last decade – during which Amit Malviya has headed the IT and social media cell – has seen many ups and downs, according to BJP leaders.
This move is also being linked to the ‘Gen Z’ movement and the stiff competition the BJP is facing from the Congress and other opposition parties on social media platforms.
The sources said attributing this change solely to events of the last few months amounts to a superficial analysis that is incorrect.
