BJP looking to elect chiefs in big states before picking national president

New Delhi: The BJP is looking to elect its heads in a number of key states in the coming days to pave the way for the election of its new national president, a process which has stretched longer than expected.

Official sources said the party leadership is keen on a quick election of its presidents in big states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, among others, to finish the organisational exercise that began with the launch of a nationwide membership drive in September last year.

The BJP's constitution requires the party to complete its organisational election in at least half of its state units, meaning that new presidents should be in place in at least 19 states, including union territories, before the exercise to choose the new national president begins.

The BJP has 37 organisational states in total.

When the party's membership drive began in September last year, it was largely believed that the election of the new president in place of incumbent J P Nadda would be over by January-February this year.

However, a delay in electing its presidents in several big states as the party looks to build a consensus and take its ideological allies like the RSS into confidence has set back the process by several weeks.

In states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is largely tipped to pick a new face over incumbents Bhupendra Singh and V D Sharma respectively while it may allow B Y Vijayendra to continue in Karnataka.

Singh has been at the helm for close to three years, Sharma for over five years and Vijayendra was appointed in November 2023.

Several other states where the BJP is yet to elect its new chiefs are Gujarat, Odisha and Punjab.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav recently took a swipe at the BJP in the Lok Sabha over its continuing exercise to elect its national president.

The BJP claims to be the largest party in India but has still not decided on its leader, he said.

Home Minister Amit Shah was quick to retort, "In some parties, only five members of a family have to choose the president so it is easy and quick, but we have to elect (a president) following a process that involves crores of members, so it takes time."