NEW DELHI: After formation of Modi-3.0 govt, the focus now shifts to who will be the next BJP chief amid looming electoral battles, including in Maharashtra and Haryana, where the party is incumbent and where it performed badly in Lok Sabha polls.
J P Nadda, who has been inducted as a key cabinet minister in Modi govt, has completed his tenure as party chief and the process to elect his successor is likely in the next few days.A decision on nominating a working president pending election of a full-time chief will be taken by the party brass. Though replacements have been smooth affairs, party circles and others will be watching whether it will be influenced by the desire for fresh reachouts to OBCs and women. With many prominent faces, including those with long spells in the organisation, joining govt, there is a possibility of someone from grassroots level, preferably a woman, a Dalit or an OBC, with strong RSS background, turning out to be the pick.
The exercise has taken on an additional dimension because of speculation of view that RSS, always an important stakeholder, might take against background of its widely discussed estrangement from the party. Importantly, the outgoing chief’s remark where he said BJP had grown powerful enough to do without RSS’s support is said to have annoyed the Sangh leadership.
His shift to govt notwithstanding, Nadda, whose three-year tenure got over in Jan and was extended by six months because of Lok Sabha polls, will continue as party president until the process to elect his successor is completed. Although there is no bar on a person simultaneously serving in the organisation and govt, adherence to one person-one post policy has been the convention. As per the party’s constitution, the national chief is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of national and state councils. Any 20 members of the electoral college of a state can propose any person who has been an active member for four terms and has 15 years of membership. The joint proposal, however, should come from not less than five states where elections have been completed for the national council. There is speculation that a woman could be elevated as the chief in view of the emphasis BJP has laid on women in the recent past with PM Narendra Modi acknowledging women voters’ decisive role in his three consecutive wins. No woman has headed the party so far.
BJP is planning an extensive outreach campaign to increase the number of women members in the organisation — one of the main reasons why many see the next party chief being a woman a reasonable prospect. As per the women’s quota Act, 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be reserved for women, which is likely by the next Lok Sabha polls in 2029. By then, the party will need strong bench strength to select potential candidates.
J P Nadda, who has been inducted as a key cabinet minister in Modi govt, has completed his tenure as party chief and the process to elect his successor is likely in the next few days.A decision on nominating a working president pending election of a full-time chief will be taken by the party brass. Though replacements have been smooth affairs, party circles and others will be watching whether it will be influenced by the desire for fresh reachouts to OBCs and women. With many prominent faces, including those with long spells in the organisation, joining govt, there is a possibility of someone from grassroots level, preferably a woman, a Dalit or an OBC, with strong RSS background, turning out to be the pick.
The exercise has taken on an additional dimension because of speculation of view that RSS, always an important stakeholder, might take against background of its widely discussed estrangement from the party. Importantly, the outgoing chief’s remark where he said BJP had grown powerful enough to do without RSS’s support is said to have annoyed the Sangh leadership.
His shift to govt notwithstanding, Nadda, whose three-year tenure got over in Jan and was extended by six months because of Lok Sabha polls, will continue as party president until the process to elect his successor is completed. Although there is no bar on a person simultaneously serving in the organisation and govt, adherence to one person-one post policy has been the convention. As per the party’s constitution, the national chief is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of national and state councils. Any 20 members of the electoral college of a state can propose any person who has been an active member for four terms and has 15 years of membership. The joint proposal, however, should come from not less than five states where elections have been completed for the national council. There is speculation that a woman could be elevated as the chief in view of the emphasis BJP has laid on women in the recent past with PM Narendra Modi acknowledging women voters’ decisive role in his three consecutive wins. No woman has headed the party so far.
BJP is planning an extensive outreach campaign to increase the number of women members in the organisation — one of the main reasons why many see the next party chief being a woman a reasonable prospect. As per the women’s quota Act, 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be reserved for women, which is likely by the next Lok Sabha polls in 2029. By then, the party will need strong bench strength to select potential candidates.
