The Bharatiya Janata Party, on the verge of electing a new national president, is learnt to be repping for a major organizational revamp before the selection process for the appointment of a new party president kicks off.
The appointment of the party's new president, which has been delayed by over six months, is contingent on the election of state-level presidents. Nadda continues to helm the BJP despite his five-year run ending with the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
So far, the BJP has finalized state presidents for 15 states while the party is set to unveil new chiefs in at least six more states by the end of this week, media reports said, citing sources.
Among states where the appointment of a new president is due are Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. As per the BJP's constitution, elections must be held in at least 19 states before the elections to appoint the new national president can be conducted.
On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met at party president and Union Health Minister JP Nadda’s residence. The leaders at the meeting, that lasted over three hours, are believed to have deliberated upon the forthcoming changes in the party at the organizational level.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Shah, Singh, and BJP general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh first met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to finalise the organisational changes on Wednesday. Shah met Nadda later in the day.
The poll process ahead of the unveiling of the new BJP president is likely to kick off with nominations any time next week while the elections are expected to be held by the end of this April or early May. A formal announcement in this regard is expected once the process of appointments to the presidents in 19 states are formalized.
The suspense over the BJP's presidential elections come in the backdrop of certain events that many see as linked to the impending internal changes in the party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir was postponed.
His recent meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, which the party claimed was to apprise each other on their recent foreign visits, has also stoked curiosity.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah has attributed the delay in the appointment process of the party's new president to challenges on account of sheer volume. "We need to follow a process and choose a chief from 12-13 crore members. So it takes time," Shah had said in Parliament during a discussion on the Waqf Bill.
He reiterated his stand on the delay while participating in the CNN-News 18 'Rising Bharat' Summit last week as well.
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