BJP Likely To Have New National President In February

A new BJP national president is expected to take over in February next year, capping a months-long process of organisational elections, in which the party is likely to have new chiefs in many states.

A senior party leader said state presidents who were recently appointed, as in Bihar, Rajasthan and Karnataka, are unlikely to be replaced, while the exercise to elect new party chiefs in other states will start from January 15, when ''Uttarayan'', considered an auspicious Hindu period, begins.

He indicated that the new state chiefs will be elected by consensus, as has been the convention in the party.

As per the party's constitution, organisational elections should be completed in more than half of the total number of states before a national president is elected.

A meeting of the BJP national council is expected in the latter half of February where either a new national president will be elected or his appointment ratified if he or she has already been named by its parliamentary board, the party's top decision-making body.

After BJP president Amit Shah joined the Cabinet of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government when it came to power, the party appointed senior leader J P Nadda as its working president.

With the party having the norm of "one person one post", it is believed that Mr Shah may make way for Mr Nadda as the BJP president following the completion of organisational polls.