NEW DELHI: In a move towards electing its national president, the BJP on Friday appointed two Union ministers and a former Union and current MP as state election officers to oversee its organisational elections in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. These elections are a precursor to the much-anticipated election for the party’s national president.
Dr K Laxman, BJP OBC Morcha’s national president and the party’s National Election Officer (NEO), has appointed Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Harsh Malhotra, and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, as state election officers of Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, respectively.
They will supervise the election of the state party presidents as well as the election of national council members.
Meanwhile, a highly reliable senior source indicated that the party is, in all probability, expected to announce its new national president by July 15, after the appointment of state presidents in several states, including Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Tripura, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and others, as part of the build-up to the national election.
Sources hinted that Punjab and Delhi may receive their new state presidents after the election of the new national president. The announcements for Gujarat and UP may take place between July 4 and 11.
The BJP central leadership is intent on completing the organisational election process as soon as possible — ideally between July 15 and 20. It prefers completing the exercise before the Monsoon Session of Parliament, scheduled to begin on July 21 and end on August 12. The session is expected to be stormy, with debates on several contentious issues.
The top priority now is to elect the state presidents for Telangana and Andhra between July 1 and 5. Tripura is also expected to get a new state President between June 29 and July 2.