(Image source from: Eenadu.net)
The BJP is expected to appoint a new National President before the dates for the Bihar elections are revealed, according to sources who spoke to NDTV on Friday afternoon. The party aims to run the elections with fresh national leadership, but the process of choosing a new president has faced delays for several reasons. One key reason is that there have been many discussions taking place. Senior members from the Bharatiya Janata Party and its guiding group, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have contacted around 100 notable individuals to gather suggestions for candidates.
Sources mentioned that discussions involved former party leaders and senior Union Ministers, alongside individuals connected to the RSS and/or BJP who have held official positions. Another factor contributing to the delay is the vice presidential election scheduled for September 9. The BJP had not predicted a need for a vice presidential election at this time. However, due to Jagdeep Dhankhar's unexpected resignation last month, the party is focused on making sure their candidate - Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan - achieves the highest number of votes.
A further reason for the postponement is the elections for presidents of significant state branches, including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka. Earlier reports suggested that the BJP prefers to have all state leadership, filled through elections where necessary, established before appointing a National President. This aligns with the party's Constitution, which mandates that at least 19 out of its 36 state and union territory branches need to have an elected leader before a National President can be appointed. Last month, the BJP completed this process in 28 states. Currently, apart from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka, there are still remaining elections in Haryana, Delhi, Jharkhand, Punjab, and Manipur. In Punjab, the BJP has named a working president. The current BJP National President is JP Nadda, who was elected in January 2020 and has had his term extended twice since it ended after three years. The first extension was due to the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and the second was for organizational purposes.
A similar approach is being used for selecting mandal leaders. In this case, the BJP has decided to offer opportunities to younger leaders by setting an age limit of under 40 for candidates. For district and state leaders, individuals must have been active members of the BJP for a minimum of ten years. This decision was made because there is some frustration among BJP members regarding leaders from other parties being given significant roles within the organization. Nonetheless, there have been a few exceptions to this rule.
