The BJP will soon begin the process of extensive organizational changes with the launch of a new membership drive, PTI reported. It is followed by an internal survey in all states prior to the election of a new party president.
JP Nadda was inducted into the Union Cabinet as Minister of Health, Chemicals and Fertilizers, triggering the need for his replacement as party president.
Although Nadda’s extended term ends on June 30, a recent amendment to the BJP constitution has empowered its highest body, the Parliamentary Board, to take calls related to a president, including his term, in “emergency” situations.
The party’s parliamentary board may extend Nadda’s term until the electoral process for his replacement is completed, sources said. However, they added that it is up to the party’s senior leadership to make the final decision.
When Amit Shah, BJP president during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, moved to the government, Nadda was appointed as acting president before being elected full president in January 2020.
The precedent opens the possibility of appointing an acting president, even more so when a full-time leader may be necessary to guide the upcoming membership campaign and elections in their organizational units, whether districts or states.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision not to retain Nadda as a cabinet minister in his second term was a clear indication that the experienced leader will lead the party’s vast organizational apparatus, the likely options are now far from clear, as It is pointed out by the most experienced leaders. , who have been seen as likely options, are part of the government.
People like Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav, who are strong organizational hands and who were often talked about as possible party presidents, have continued in the Modi government in its third term.
According to the PTI report, this suggests that the party may elevate one of its state faces or one of its national general secretaries to the top position.
The shift of some BJP state presidents to governments, either at the Center or in the states, apart from its electoral setback in a key state like Uttar Pradesh, is likely to bring new faces in their place, sources said.
West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar has become Union minister while his Bihar counterpart Samrat Choudhary is deputy chief minister in the state. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also heads the party in the state.
Rajasthan BJP president CP Joshi is likely to be replaced to balance the party’s social coalition as state chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma is a Brahmin like him.
The party’s dismal performance in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh has focused attention on its state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary.
BJP sources said polls and organizational changes were put on hold while the party focused on the election campaign. The process will now begin in earnest, more so after its poor results in some states during the polls.
The BJP lost its majority in the Lok Sabha even though its alliance, the NDA, comfortably surpassed the magic figure of 272.