BJP to get new national president soon: Election process likely after the parliament session

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is to get new national president soon. According to sources, the election of the party's national president, which has been pending for the last 10 months, will now be started after the Parliament session ends. Earlier, this process was to be completed by March 15, but it was delayed due to the Parliament session. Now, the news is that the BJP may get a new national president by mid-April 2025.

According to the NDTV report, organizational elections have been completed in 13 states and the names of the state presidents there have also been announced. The names of state presidents are also expected to be decided in big states like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal in the next one week. According to the party rules, the election of the national president is possible only when organizational elections have been completed in at least 50% of the states. Elections have already been conducted at the booth, mandal and district levels. After the names of 19 state presidents are finalized, the process of election of the national president will begin.

JP Nadda took over as the BJP's working president in 2019 and was unanimously elected national president in January 2020. His term was extended till June 2024 as the Lok Sabha elections were underway. Now that Nadda has become a minister in the government, the party is looking for a new president.

The BJP had to face a relatively weak performance in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, due to which the party is under pressure to strengthen its base. In such a situation, it is being speculated that the new president may be from UP. The candidate will have to be in line with the organizational values of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the party. The challenge before the party will be that the new face is acceptable to all factions and can strengthen the organization.

How is the BJP president elected?

According to the BJP constitution, only a person who has been an active member of the party for at least 15 years can become the national president. The election is done by an electoral college consisting of members of the National Council and State Councils. The 20 members of this board can together propose the name of a candidate, but this proposal should come from at least five states where the National Council elections have been held. The consent of the candidate is also mandatory. However, on most occasions, the president is elected unanimously.