BJP likely to get new chief soon

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to elect a new president this month following a slight delay due to the ongoing Parliament Session. The party has been seeking prospective candidates for nearly a year following the induction of JP Nadda into the Narendra Modi Cabinet.

The process to elect the president has been on track and was supposed to be wrapped up by March 15, but suffered another delay because of the Parliament session.

Sources said the names of 13 state presidents have been announced after the completion of organisational elections in 13 states.

Over the next one week, the names of the state presidents of most of the remaining states, including Telangana, UP, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal will be announced.

After the names of the 19 state presidents are announced, the process for the next national president of the party will begin.

For the election of the BJP president, organisational elections in 50 per cent of the states is a must. Before that, elections are held for booth, mandal, and district levels.

JP Nadda had taken on the responsibility of the party in 2019 as its working president.

In January 2020, he was unanimously elected BJP national president, and took over from current Union Home Minister Amit Shah. His tenure was extended until June 2024 in view of the Lok Sabha elections. With his induction into the government, the party has been looking at prospective candidates to succeed him.

Choosing the right candidate is a tough task. The BJP needs to get the correct caste combination and juggle the north-south divide over the language row and delimitation.

The party is already under pressure to shore up its support base in Uttar Pradesh, where its setback in the Lok Sabha polls had deprived it of a single-handed majority in the House. This has triggered speculation if the new president will be drawn from that state.

The candidate will also have to be acceptable across the board, including the BJP’s ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, and be steeped in organizational values.