What’s behind the massive reshuffle in India’s ruling party?

The organizational changes in PM Narendra Modi’s BJP represent a major shift in its leadership The shakeup in India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday has brought changes to its organizational hierarchy, raising some eyebrows.

The shuffle, effected by BJP National President Nitin Nabin, is being explained away as the result of a new party leader bringing in his own team.

However, a closer look shows the imprint of recent events as the organization struggles to connect with the youth in the world’s largest democracy.

What changed Nabin replaced four of the party’s general secretaries and brought in two more new faces to fill existing vacancies.

These are formidable positions in the BJP, ranking directly below its president and responsible for key decisions.

He also replaced the head of the party’s powerful IT and Social Media Cell, Amit Malviya, as well as the president of the youth wing, Tejasvi Surya.

READ MORE: India’s education minister resigns after weeks of protests Others who were ousted included the party’s treasurer, the chief of the women’s wing and the head of the OBC wing.

OBCs, or Other Backward Classes, is a collective term for socially and economically disadvantaged communities which together account for about 50% of the country’s voters – although they don’t always vote as a bloc.

Also shown the door were the heads of the party’s farmers’ wing, the scheduled tribes and scheduled castes wings, and the minority wing.

Malviya and Surya fell to youth anger At least a couple of the big exits can be attributed to the student protests last month over leaks of questions for a national medical entrance test – the biggest challenge Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has faced so far.

Read more Modi rolls out free coaching drive to win over young Indians India, the world’s most populous nation with 1.4 billion people, also has the most young people of any country; the average age is around 29.

The government responded to the protests with brutal police violence, stoking public anger – before it caved and sacked Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The BJP’s IT cell was overwhelmed as netizens attacked the party, the government, and even Modi.

Amit Malavia, the party’s social media czar since 2015, found his tool-kit had come up short.