In the newly unveiled team of BJP’s youngest-ever president Nitin Nabin, Sandeep Pathak is the sole defector to find a place.Pathak, a former long-time aide of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, was among the seven AAP MPs who recently merged with BJP in the Rajya Sabha.Related News: New BJP team: Nabin drops all secretaries except Congress veteran AK Antony’s son AnilHe is expected to be key to BJP’s Punjab strategy, having steered AAP to victory as a principal strategist in the 2022 Assembly election.Pathak is said to have close ties with all AAP MLAs. Sources say he will be a prominent backroom player for BJP in the Punjab Assembly election in 2027.With his experience in AAP, Pathak is believed to have a strong grasp of the Punjab political landscape and has mapped out the entire state.Related News: BJP chief’s new team: Manpreet Badal, Smriti Irani, Vasundhara Raje in; Pradhan, Radha Mohan Agarwal names missingIt remains to be seen whether Raghav Chadha, another former AAP MP now in BJP, finds a place in the Union Cabinet reshuffle expected to follow the organisational revamp.