The process for election of BJP’s new president got underway on Wednesday with the issuance of notification of the poll schedule which includes nominations and scrutiny on Sunday and election, if required, on Monday.
Incumbent party president Amit Shah is expected to get a full three-year-term this week-end.
According to the notification, nominations for the post of party president would be accepted on January 24 and scrutiny will take place the same day. The election, if necessary, would be held on January 25.
Shah’s tenure, which is partly the continuation of his predecessor Rajnath Singh’s term, is ending on January 23. Shah is likely to be re-elected unopposed, according to sources.
“The nominations for the election to the post of BJP president would be accepted on January 24 between 10 am and 1 pm at the party headquarters on Ashok Road. The scrutiny and withdrawal of nominations would take place between 1 pm and 1.30 pm and, if necessary, the election will be held on January 25 between 10 am and 2 pm,” according to BJP’s Returning Officer for the election Avinash Rai Khanna .
The BJP already has 20 State presidents in place and the process for electing five more State unit chiefs is underway.
As per the BJP constitution, amended in 2013 during Nitin Gadkari’s tenure, a party member can be elected BJP president for two terms.
Sources said the RSS gave its green signal for Shah after Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted on his name but sought him to be “inclusive” by making “ changes” in his team.