BJP’s new national president will likely be announced in July, with key contenders being top Union leaders.
NEW DELHI: The announcement of the new national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected next month, in July. The Parliament’s monsoon session is scheduled to begin on July 21, and the BJP is likely to have a new national president before that. For the BJP’s new national president, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Manohar Lal Khattar, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan are considered the strongest contenders.
The panel of names for the national president has been sent to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). As soon as the RSS gives its approval to a name, the official notification for the election of the national president will be issued immediately, and the formal election process will begin. The most important factor in the BJP’s national president election is the approval of the RSS. Without the consent and approval of the RSS, the BJP cannot finalise its national president.
According to the BJP constitution, to conduct the election of the national president, organisational elections must be held in more than half of the states. Organisationally, the BJP has units in 40 states across the country, so elections must be held in at least 20 states. So far, the BJP has completed organisational elections in 14 states. In about 8 to 10 states, the names of state presidents have already been finalised, and their announcement will be made before the notification for the BJP national president’s election. Among these prominent states are Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat.
According to BJP sources, after International Yoga Day on June 21, the BJP will announce the names of these new state presidents. Following this, the process for the national president election will begin, and by next month, July, the BJP will have a new national president. The tenure of the current national president, J.P. Nadda, ended in 2023. His tenure was extended till the 2024 general elections, then further extended till the Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections, then again till the Delhi Assembly elections, and now it has been extended until the new national president is elected. The names that are being discussed are as follows:
* Dharmendra Pradhan: Dharmendra Pradhan has experience as an election in charge, having managed elections in several states. He is a leader from the backward classes and is trusted by both Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The credit for implementing the New Education Policy across the country goes to Pradhan. He also successfully implemented the Ujjwala scheme while serving as the Petroleum Minister.
* Manohar Lal Khattar: Manohar Lal Khattar is a dedicated RSS pracharak and close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has served twice as the Chief Minister of Haryana.
* Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Shivraj Singh Chouhan has 18 years of experience as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He is considered the RSS’ first choice for national president and has extensive experience in managing elections.
