# BJP Replaces Amit Malviya as Its Social Media Chief After 11 Years > Deepak Mhaskey takes over the role amid criticism that the party's online messaging had grown disconnected from younger voters and the recent Gen Z protests. - Source: India Max - Canonical URL: https://indiamax.net/article/bjp-replaces-amit-malviya-as-its-social-media-chief-after-11-years - Author: India Max Staff - Section: Politics - Published: 2026-08-18T11:13:42.036Z - Updated: 2026-08-18T11:13:42.036Z - Tags: Amit Malviya, BJP, IT Cell, Deepak Mhaskey - Hindi edition: https://indiamax.net/hi/article/bjp-replaces-amit-malviya-as-its-social-media-chief-after-11-years --- The BJP has replaced Amit Malviya as head of its social media operation after roughly 11 years in the post, naming Deepak Mhaskey as the new convenor along with four state coordinators, Priti Gandhi, Shivanand Dwivedi, Alok Bhatt and Arun Yadav. The change was announced on Monday as part of a wider reshuffle of the party's media team. Malviya had led the unit since 2015, when he was appointed under then party president Amit Shah, and later took on added responsibility as co-incharge for West Bengal ahead of the 2021 assembly elections there. His approach built the IT cell into one of the most visible arms of the party's messaging machine, but it also drew recurring criticism over the years for aggressive posting and confrontations with critics. The immediate backdrop to the reshuffle was the wave of youth protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party earlier this year, during which the party's media operation was seen internally as out of step with how younger voters were engaging online. RSS ideologue Ratan Sharda had separately faulted Malviya's team for what he called trolling citizens instead of communicating policy simply, while some posts pushed out by the unit were flagged internally as misleading. Malviya also had a public falling out with former Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy, who had accused him of running a fake tweet campaign and demanded his removal. Malviya has since congratulated Mhaskey on the handover and said he backs the new team, while remaining a visible presence in the party's communications. --- Originally published by India Max. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://indiamax.net/article/bjp-replaces-amit-malviya-as-its-social-media-chief-after-11-years.