Since Sonia became Congress chief in 1998, BJP’s 9 presidents, ‘unanimous’

Sonia Gandhi, though, has been at the helm of the Congress since 1998, barring the period between 2017-19 when Rahul Gandhi held the post. The last time the Congress held an internal poll was in 2000.

In the same period, the BJP has seen nine presidents from different parts of the country.

A look at how, and if, the BJP elects its presidents:

 Party constitution

The national president is to be elected by an electoral college comprising members of the BJP’s national and state councils, “in accordance with rules framed by the National Executive”, says the BJP constitution. “Any 20 members of the electoral college of a state can jointly propose any person who has been an active member for four terms and has 15 years of membership, for the post of the National President. But such joint proposals should come from not less than five states where elections have been completed for the national council. The consent of the candidate is necessary.”

The process

The process for the election starts with an enrolment drive, followed by active members verifying the new ones. Then, election in-charges are appointed to begin the process for polls for mandal president, district president and state presidents, followed by ultimately the national president. The tenure of a BJP chief is for three years.

J P Nadda, January 2020 onwards

A former Union minister, Nadda became the BJP chief in January 2020 unanimously, as the only leader to file nomination. Nadda was already the working president of the party, having taken over in June 2019 after Amit Shah resigned from the post upon becoming a Union minister. The BJP follows a one man-one post rule.

Amit Shah, July 2014-June 2019

He became the national president in July 2014 in the wake of Rajnath Singh’s resignation after he became a Union minister. In January 2016, 20 BJP state units submitted 17 nominations in Shah’s favour for a full three-year term. In 2018, the party deferred its internal polls, paving the way for extension of Shah’s term till the Lok Sabha polls in April 2019.

Rajnath Singh, January 2013-January 2016

He was elected to the post unanimously as well, after Nitin Gadkari pulled out at the last minute, following allegations against his company, the Purti Group. Gadkari issued a statement saying he did not want allegations against him to “adversely affect the interests of BJP”.

The sudden development followed days of speculation that opposition was building up in the BJP to the candidature of Gadkari, considered an RSS man. In fact, a change in BJP rules at the time, which required a party chief to step down after one term, was seen as a means to help Gadkari contest again. Rajnath Singh’s name was not in the picture till then and, in fact, one name that popped up as a possible contender was Yashwant Sinha’s. Top BJP leaders had gone into a huddle, along with RSS representative Ram Lal, after which Singh’s name emerged as the “consensus candidate”.

Nitin Gadkari, December 2009-January 2013

He was appointed to the top post by the party’s Parliamentary Board as a replacement for Rajnath Singh, who quit in the wake of the Lok Sabha elections that year which saw the UPA return to power in a shock result for the BJP. He was formally elected in February 2010, also unopposed, with all 13 sets of nominations in his favour. At 52, he became the BJP’s youngest party president till that point.

Rajnath Singh, December 2005-December 2009

Singh had taken over “unanimously” after party veteran LK Advani resigned in the wake of the NDA’s loss in the 2004 ‘Shining India’ Lok Sabha elections. The failure in those polls, advanced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government as it was sure of its victory, had earlier claimed then BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu.

L K Advani, 2004-05

He took over after Naidu quit following the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

M Venkaiah Naidu, 2002-2004

He took over from Jana Krishnamurthi, who also had a brief stint between 2001 and 2002 at the top.

Jana Krishnamurthy, 2001-2002

He took over from Kushabahu Thakre and resigned after becoming the Union law minister under the Vajpayee government.

Krishnamurthi had earlier become the acting president, replacing Bangaru Lakshman (2000-2001), the first Dalit president of the BJP, after the latter had to resign in the wake of corruption allegations.

Other national presidents of the BJP, which was founded in 1980, include Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1980-86); Murli Manohar Joshi (1991-93); and Kushabhau Thakre (1998-2000). Advani has served as the president for the longest time, through three terms (1986-91; 1993-1998; and 2004-05).