- BJP has officially announced the election process for its next national president
- The election will be held on January 19-20 at BJP headquarters in New Delhi
- Nitin Nabin is likely to be elected unopposed with support from top BJP leaders
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formally begun the process to elect its next national president, issuing an official notification under the party's 'Sangathan Parv'.
The notification, released by BJP National Returning Officer K Laxman, lays out a two-day schedule for the internal election, with the process beginning on January 19 and concluding on January 20.
According to the notification, the entire election process will take place at the BJP headquarters on Deendayal Upadhyay Marg in New Delhi. The party has also published the electoral list comprising 5,708 Nirvachak Mandal members.
The nomination process is scheduled for January 19 between 2 pm and 4 pm, followed by the scrutiny of nomination papers from 4 pm to 5 pm. Candidates will have time to withdraw their nominations until 6 pm. The Returning Officer is scheduled to issue a press statement at 6.30 pm the same evening.
Polling, if required, will be held on January 20 between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm, with the official announcement of the new BJP national president to be made the same day.
Party sources say BJP national working president Nitin Nabin is likely to be elected unopposed, as no other senior leader is expected to enter the contest. The party's top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, is backing Nabin's candidature, sources add.
Nitin Nabin is expected to succeed Union Minister JP Nadda as the BJP president. He is likely to formally take charge at the party headquarters on January 20 in the presence of senior leaders, including PM Modi, Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Nadda.
Senior BJP leaders say the leadership change will be followed by a major organisational revamp. Sources indicate that a possible Cabinet reshuffle could also be on the cards once the new party chief assumes charge.
The BJP national president is elected by an Electoral College comprising representatives from state units and organisational bodies, with the process overseen by the National Returning Officer as per the party constitution.
With the election schedule now in place, the BJP is set to enter a new organisational phase ahead of key political battles.
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