As the Opposition Congress makes moves to elect its new party president, the ruling BJP leadership is expected to give its incumbent national president JP Nadda an extension till the conclusion of the Lok Sabha polls by April–May 2024.
According to sources, Nadda whose tenure has witnessed big wins in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand-beating anti-incumbency- will not be disturbed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the middle of fast and furious poll preparations for the General Elections.
Nadda, who took charge of the BJP from Shah in 2020, is likely to get an extension and the party may not be “changing the horse midstream” , sources said. Nadda's three-year term is scheduled to end on January 20, 2023.
A spate of states is also to elect new assemblies from later this year to the time of Lok Sabha polls including Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh (Nadda’s home state), Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Telangana , Chhattisgarh and Odisha – some of which are BJP-ruled. It is going to be a tough contest for the saffron party.
Under the amended BJP constitution, the party president can get two consecutive terms of three years each. There is also a provision that after the organisational elections are held in at least 50 per cent of the state units, the process of election of the national president can start.
Shah was also given extension as the BJP president in 2019 till the Lok Sabha elections. Earlier, some speculations was rife that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan could be given the charge if Nadda is not to get the extension. Another name which was doing the round was that of Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav.
