BJP will announce its new full-term president after January 20, 2025. Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda has been the president of the BJP since January 2020 and continues in the role for an extended term after his official tenure concluded in 2023. Although the next party president remains uncertain, party insiders have suggested that a decision is likely to be made early next year.
The selection of potential candidates will depend on the consensus between BJP leadership and RSS regarding them. A BJP national president can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms, each lasting three years. This provision was introduced in 2012 when the RSS advocated for Nitin Gadkari to lead the party for a second term. However, at the last moment, Rajnath Singh took over and held the position until the BJP’s victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Amit Shah succeeded Singh as the BJP chief, and Nadda replaced Shah four years ago. According to the BJP’s constitution, the presidents elected at various levels, from Mandal and Zilla to state levels, are responsible for nominating a team of office-bearers. After elections in half the states are completed, an election is conducted to select a full-time national president, who then nominates a team of office-bearers.
While the party constitution outlines the process for an electoral college to select the national president, the practice has typically been to appoint a consensus candidate, who submits their nomination papers and is “elected” unopposed, rather than holding a formal election. The BJP constitution also allows for a contested election. If more than one candidate remains after the nomination withdrawal deadline, the process mandates that voting be conducted in all state capitals on the designated day, with polling officers chosen by the all-India returning officer. The sealed ballot boxes are then transported to Delhi for vote counting.
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