Vinod Tawde to be BJP’s poll in-charge for Kerala, Ram Madhav for Bengaluru civic election

In some of the first organisational appointments made by new BJP President Nitin Nabin, he has announced national general secretary Vinod Tawde as the poll in-charge for the upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala, with Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje as co-incharge.

In late evening announcements on Tuesday (January 20, 2026), it was also declared that former BJP general secretary Ram Madhav will be poll incharge for the Greater Bengaluru Municipal polls, with former State president of Rajasthan, Satish Poonia and Maharashtra MLA Sanjay Upadhyaya as co-incharges.

Mr. Tawde has also been given charge of overseeing the election of a new mayor for Chandigarh on behalf of the BJP.

Polls for the Greater Bengaluru Municipal Corporation will be held after May 25 this year and voting will be done using paper ballots instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Ashish Shelar will be in-charge for local body polls in Telangana due in February.

Another former State president from Rajasthan, Ashok Parnami and Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma will be co-incharges.