SEARCH DEEPENS FOR A NEW BOSS

Euphoric after the poll victories in three states, the BJP has 'renewed' the search for a new party president to succeed Jagat Prakash Nadda.

- Anilesh S. Mahajan

The BJP chief 's tenure is for three years, but Nadda has held the post since 2019—getting one extension after another, the last to ensure “continuity” in the preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. To form the electoral college that will formally vote for a new president, the BJP constitution requires that at least half the state units have elected their own presidents. That part of the process has also seen big delays.

Party sources say this was because the leadership was concentrating more on the series of state assembly elections in the second half of 2024, but it's also true that some of the key state units are riven with factionalism. Finally, in December, the process to fill the posts in the states was initiated in 29 of the 36 states and UTs, but has so far come to fruition in only 13; Bihar and Rajasthan are the only two big states in the list. The problem has been compounded by the fact that, since last June, Nadda has also been doubling up as the Union minister for health and family welfare, expediency dictating a rare infringement of the BJP's 'one person one post' rule.

The choosing of a new president during a crucial passage for the party, a time when it is looking to steer a generational shift. Few would disagree that the BJP is at its peak now, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime into its third straight term, and the party, along with allies, in power in 22 states (and UTs).

The BJP leadership may have another round of consultations with the top leadership of ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), but both sides say that “Modi’s decision will be final”. That said, the visible involvement of the Sangh in poll management since the LS election reverses has vouchsafed a phase of victories.