B Y Vijayendra
Credit: DH Photo/S K Dinesh
New Delhi: As the BJP national working president Nitin Nabin gets ready to assume the post of national president on January 20, Karnataka is the only major state where an election for the state party president remains pending.
Other states where selection of a new party president is pending are: Punjab, Tripura and Manipur, in addition to Delhi.
According to sources, the party high command will likely maintain the status quo in Karnataka and take a call on the leadership issue closer to the assembly elections in 2028.
State presidents still need to be appointed in at least 19 more regions.
Sources in the party said BY Vijayendra will continue to head the state for the time being. “He will lead the state for now, and there is no need to announce a reelection. Finally, the infighting in the state unit has calmed down and we do not want to worsen matters,” a senior party leader said.
Nabin is the youngest leader to be named working president, a precursor to being named party president.
While the party’s constitution does not mandate the position, Nabin is the second working president after JP Nadda.
Election for the top job is done by an electoral college that has leaders from the national council as well as the state council as members.
Names of leaders are presented from various states by groups of 20 members of a state council, with the consent of the leader. Rules also mandate that the names of only members who have been part of the party for 15 years can be proposed.
BJP leaders also said any leader can hold the president’s post for two consecutive terms of three years each.