The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday (January 16) issued a notification for the election of its new party president to succeed Nadda. As per the notification accessed by PTI, nominations for a position in the world’s richest party is to be filed on Monday and the announcement to be made on Tuesday.
According to a report by PTI, BJP national working president Nitin Nabin is likely to be elected as the national president unopposed. However the possibility of some leaders at least joining the fray remains open with the window for nominations being opened between 3 to 4 pm on January 19.
This announcement from BJP comes in the backdrop of the ongoing BMC elections where it has gained a sizable lead over its competitors and rival parties as a part of the Mahayuti alliance.
Timeline of the move
The organisational schedule released by BJP national officer K Laxman earlier today presented the complete schedule of the move. As per the notification, the nomination for the election of the party chief can be filed between 2 pm and 4 pm on January 19, and the nominations can be withdrawn between 5 pm and 6 pm on the same day.
Scrutiny of the nomination papers will be carried out between 4 pm and 5 pm on January 19. “Polling will be held if needed on January 20, and an official announcement of the name of the new BJP national president will be made the same day,” Laxman told PTI.
As per the PTI report, Nabin is likely to replace JP Nadda as BJP national president with party leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, backing his candidature for the post
How is a party president appointed in BJP?
As per the BJP’s Constitution, the national president for the party can only be elected by an electoral college consisting of members of the national council and members of the state councils.
The National Council is the highest policy-making body of the party and is responsible for rectifying constitutional amendments. According to the party’s constitution, any 20 members of the electoral college of a state can jointly propose the name of an individual who has been an active member for four terms and 15 years.
The joint proposal should come from not less than five states where elections have been completed for the national council. The Constitution also lays down that any eligible member can hold the post of party president for two consecutive terms of three years each.
BJP had previously announced the appointment of five-term legislator and Bihar minister Nabin as the working national president, succeeding Amit Shah on December 14.
The new President and his soon to be appointed team is expected to have their hands full as the party stares at approaching elections across four states and a Union Territory including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
The newly appointed party president will likely also have to lead the party to elections across Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat that are scheduled to take place next year.