New Delhi:
With Amit Shah set to be re-elected as BJP president the process for election to the top party post got underway on Wednesday following issuance of notification of the poll schedule.
Nominations for the post of party president would be accepted on January 24 and scrutiny will take place the same day. The election, if required, would be held on January 25.
Shah’s tenure at the helm of the party is ending on January 23 and he is likely to be re-elected unopposed, party sources said.
If re-elected, this would be the first full tenure for Shah as he is now completing the remnant of the three-year term of Rajnath Singh, who left the post after joining the Union Cabinet. Shah took over as the BJP President on July 9, 2014.
“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,” Returning Officer for the election Avinash Rai Khanna said.
Party sources said BJP already has 20 state presidents in place and the process for electing five more state unit chiefs is underway.
As per BJP constitution, which was amended in 2013 during Nitin Gadkari’s tenure, a person can be elected BJP President for two terms.
Sources said the RSS has backed Shah for a full term after Prime Minister Narendra Modi put his weight behind his long-time loyalist.
The party president’s election in BJP is normally unopposed. Last time senior party leader Yashwant Sinha had expressed his willingness to contest but later decided against it.
