BJP Set to Elect New President on Jan 20: Nitin Nabin in Focus

According to the official notification issued by the party's national returning officer and Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman, the electoral rolls of the party will be published at 12 noon and the enrolment process for the candidates will start on January 19.

Beginning at 2 PM on January 19, the process will go on till two hours. From 4 PM to 5 PM, the scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held, and afterwards all the candidates will have an hour's time (5 PM to 6 PM) to withdraw their names, if needed.

The official announcement, or the necessary voting will take place on January 20.

Currently, Nitin Nabin is serving as the party's working president, and is expected to succeed Union Minister JP Nadda, who assumed office in January 2020. Nadda was also the first national working president of the party.

According to Article 21 of the BJP constitution, any eligible member can hold the post of the president for 2 consecutive terms for 3 years each.

According to Article 19, the election of the party president happens through the electoral college consisting of Members of the National Council, Members of the sate councils. The election will take place in accordance with the rules framed by the National Executive.

Any twenty members of the electoral college of the party can jointly propose a name for the party president. The person nominated needs to be an active member for four terms, and has 15 years of total membership. If no other nomination is given by the electoral college, the new party president will assume office without voting.

The BJP's national council consists of members elected by the state council; 10 per cent of Parliament members, to be elected by the party members in Parliament. The elected members cannot be less than 10, and if they are, then all of them will be elected.

Other members also include all former national presidents, all state presidents, leaders of the party in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and leaders of party in State assemblies and councils.

The party's state council include elected members by the district units; 10 per cent of party legislators; 10 per cent of Parliament members from the state; all members of the national council from state; all former state presidents; all members of the state executive' leaders of the party is state assembly and councils; nominated members (not more than 25 by state presidents and others.

According to the sources, all Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states, all state BJP presidents, national office bearers, and senior BJP leaders have been asked to be present in Delhi for the election.

Three sets of nominations will be filed for the national president's post. One set will have the signatures of more than 20 elected state BJP presidents. One set will have the signatures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda.

BJP had appointed Bihar Minister and five-term MLA Nitin Nabin as the party's working president in December of last year. Union Minister JP Nadda currently helms the national party. The appointment of Nabin is seen as the party focusing on youth leadership.

Since his appointment as the National Working President, Nitin Nabin has been deeply engaged in the party's preparations for the upcoming state assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, and Puducherry.

Recently, Nitin Nabin visited Tamil Nadu to review party preparations to face Chief Minister MK Stalin-led DMK. Before Tamil Nadu, he was in Assam, where BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma is going to face a tough competition from Congress.

- ANI