NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday started the process for organisational polls, leading up to the election of a new party president, with appointment of K Laxman as the National Returning Officer.
Following the decision of the BJP’s national executive committee (NEC), party president JP Nadda appointed party vice-president Rekha Verma and MPs Sambit Patra and Naresh as co-returning officers to support Laxman for the upcoming nationwide organisational polls.
Rajya Sabha MP Laxman, the national president of the party’s OBC Morcha since 2020, is also a member of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC), the apex body that takes final electoral decisions. The team will now decide how to conduct the elections as per the party’s constitution and who the election officers in the states will be, said a party leader.
The decision comes as current president Nadda continues his term under an extension for the second time. He is discharging organisational responsibility as the BJP chief even after becoming a union minister.
The move to elect a new leadership also comes on the heels of a membership drive, during which over 9 crore new members have been added to the party’s ranks.
Meanwhile, sources in BJP said “The process for the election of a new national president will begin tentatively by early December. In case it is delayed, the process will start early next year after the organisational elections in at least half of the states are completed,” a senior party functionary said. “Till then, the second phase of the party’s nationwide active membership drive will also be concluded,” the functionary added.
Nadda is heading the party since January 2020 and his three-year term was extended to facilitate the process to elect his replacement. As per the party constitution, the term of the national president is three years after being elected generally by consensus.
“The leadership transition is crucial for maintaining momentum and addressing the challenges that lie ahead. The election will not only set the stage for the party’s future direction but also bolster its organisational strength in preparation for the critical electoral battles in 2025 and thereafter,” a BJP leader said, wishing anonymity.
“After the completion of membership drives, elections will be held at block, district and state levels, paving the way for the election of the national president. Membership drive in Maharashtra and Jharkhand will start after assembly elections are concluded by November 23. The membership drive in J&K and Haryana, where polls have held, will start soon,” the leader said.
Meanwhile, sources said names doing the rounds for party chief post include Vinod Tawde, Devendra Fadnavis, Bhupendra Yadav, Sanjay Joshi, Sudha Verma, Arun Singh, and Sunil Bansal. “This time, national president may come either from OBCs or SCs or women, delivering a big message of PM Modi,” a senior leader said.