The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Anil Antony, National Secretary and National Spokesperson, as the in charge of the Party in the States of Meghalaya and Nagaland. MP Dr Sambit Patra will be the Co-ordinator for northeastern states while veteran politician and former union minister V Muraleedharan has been appointed Joint Co-ordinator of the Party in the Northeast.

In a post on X, Antony, the BJP member from Kerala, said that he was looking forward to working as the ‘Prabhari’ (in charge) and thanked the Party and its leaders for “their continuous trust, support and guidance and giving me the opportunity to work for the world’s largest democratic party, and forward our H’ble PM’s vision of transforming India into a fully developed country in the coming years.”

Welcoming the news, BJP Nagaland State President, Benjamin Yepthomi, congratulated Anil Antony on the appointment and said, “We eagerly look forward to working under your leadership to elevate our Party to new heights in Nagaland.” Yepthomi also thanked outgoing BJP in charge of Nagaland Nalin S Kohli for “invaluable and extensive experiences”.

Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Yanthungo Patton too congratulated Antony, Sambit Patra and V Muraleedharan.

“With such capable leaders at the forefront, I am confident that we will witness significant advancements in our organisational structure, outreach efforts, and overall impact. Together, we will work tirelessly to ensure that @BJP4India’s values and objectives are realised, bringing about positive change and development for the people,” Y Patton stated.

Anil Antony is the son of Congress leader and former union defence minister AK Antony. He switched to the BJP last year. Anil Antony contested in the Lok Sabha election 2024 from Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat in Kerala but lost to Congress candidate Anto Antony.