Guwahati, Sept. 30: Assam BJP president Siddhartha Bhattacharjya today announced the party’s new team of office-bearers, keeping an eye on the 2016 Assembly polls.

Bhattacharjya’s team includes eight vice-presidents, four general secretaries, eight secretaries and a treasurer and has seen “nearly 60 per cent” change in personnel who were in the team of his predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal who is now Union minister of state for sports.

Harekrishna Bharali, Chandrakanta Das, Mission Ranjan Das, Haricharan Bodo, Dinesh Sarkar, Chikimiki Talukdar, Nilima Bordoloi and Swarnalata Pegu have been appointed state BJP vice-presidents by Bhattacharjya.

Phanindra Nath Sharma, Vijay Kumar Gupta, Bhabesh Kalita and Rajdeep Roy will take charge of the party in the state as general secretaries.

Bhattacharjya has appointed Ramkrishna Ghosh, Diganta Ghatowar, Aminul Haque Laskar, Nabanita Handique, Nilima Devi, Santanu Pujari, Rumi Goswami and Moromi Mudoi Das secretaries of the party.

Rajkumar Sharma will be the treasurer of the state unit of the BJP.

Bhattacharya has also appointed Diplu Sharma as president of Yuva Morcha followed by Bijuli Kalita Medhi of Mohila Morcha, Syed Maminul Aowal as president of Minority Morcha, Nilupam Das of SC Morcha, Joyram Englang of ST Morcha, Pankaj Pathak of Kissan Morcha, Sanjay Kisan of Tea Morcha and Pran Kumar Das of Mazdoor Morcha.

“The list is a clear indication of Bhattacharjya’s attempt to tighten his grip in the party before the 2016 Assembly polls in the state by appointing people “close” to him as the new office bearers,” a source in the state BJP said.

Sources said the new office bearers would work as the core team to draw strategies and work on the grounds to ensure the victory of BJP in the 2016 polls.

BJP national president Amit Shah last month appointed Bhattacharjya as the head of his party’s Assam unit. The appointment of a new state BJP president became imperative after incumbent party chief Sarbananda Sonowal became the Union minister of state for sports and youth affairs three months ago. Sonowal had to vacate the post following the party’s “one-person-one-post” principle.