BJP looks to unveil new president soon as it clears the decks in states

As per the BJP’s constitution, the party national president can be elected once the elections of half the state chiefs have been conducted. These elections usually take place with consensus, with only one candidate filing the nomination and getting elected unopposed.

As of now, the BJP has announced new party chiefs in 14 of its total 37 state units across the country. The stage will be set for unveiling the new national party president once 19 state chiefs are elected. The presidents of several key state BJP units – including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana – have yet to be elected.

“Another 18 states are ready to elect their new state president any time now, as half the zila president elections in these states are over,” said a BJP source, adding that the figure of 19 state chiefs could be reached in a few weeks.

“The process of appointment of the new BJP national chief should conclude soon. Party work is speeded up after a new president is named. The work seems to have been affected in several state units where the elections of new chiefs have yet to take place. The party will, therefore, step up the process,” said a BJP leader.

The BJP constitution stipulates the same formula for the elections of the chiefs at all levels. Once the elections of half the booth presidents are over, the Mandal chief is elected; once half the Mandal presidents are elected, decks are cleared for zilla chiefs. When half the zilla unit presidents are elected, the state unit chief can be announced. And, once half the 37 state BJP chiefs are appointed, the party moves to the election of the new national president.

There has been a buzz in BJP circles that the party top brass recently held a meeting to deliberate on its pick as Nadda’s successor.

BJP sources said the party leadership has now directed state party units where organisational elections are pending to complete these in a week. “Organisational polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Chandigarh are in the process of being completed,” a BJP leader said.

“The process would pick up speed over the coming week.The new party national chief is likely to be named following the PM’s return to the country after a round of international visits in the second week of July,” the leader added.

On Friday, the BJP appointed state election officers for the election of party chiefs in Maharashtra (Union minister Kiren Rijiju), Uttarakhand (Union minister Harsh Malhotra) and West Bengal (Ravi Shankar Prasad).

Since most of the names doing the rounds for the BJP national chief’s position are Union ministers, there is also expectation in party circles of a Modi ministry reshuffle taking place alongside it. Similarly, there is a possibility that some BJP-ruled states may see Cabinet rejigs.

While a BJP section says that the pending consensus with the RSS may have delayed the selection of the new party national president, another section attributes it to factors like age, community and region as well as calculations related to the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. Some BJP insiders point out that the party leadership has been focused on Operation Sindoor carried out by India against terror emanating from Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Nadda became BJP national president in January 2020 with his tenure supposed to end in January 2023. It was extended due to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the Assembly elections in states like Haryana and Maharashtra besides J&K which followed later that year.

Nadda’s successor is expected to be at the party’s helm during the Bihar elections, slated for October-November 2025, followed by the Assembly polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam through 2026.