Before the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, a new national president of the BJP may be elected. The RSS plays a significant role in the selection, and this time, the exercise will be no different. The final decision will be made with the consent of the RSS to ensure the strength of the party organisation. For this purpose, emphasis is being placed on a 60-year-old candidate after consultations with 88 senior leaders.
According to sources, the monsoon session of Parliament has concluded, paving the way for the process of electing a new BJP national president to commence soon. The RSS has gathered extensive opinions on potential candidates. There are several reasons for the delay in selecting the new BJP national president. One significant reason is that the RSS has engaged in thorough discussions regarding the choice of the new president.
According to sources, discussions have been held with the former BJP president, senior Union ministers, and leaders associated with the RSS and BJP who hold constitutional positions, and their advice has been sought. Sources said many senior leaders have also proposed names of their own, while others have stated that they will support whichever candidate is ultimately chosen.
A former national president of the BJP, along with a leader holding the country’s second-highest constitutional position, has proposed the name of a central minister — who has previously served as a chief minister — for the party presidency. A central minister, who is currently serving as the state president in South India, has stated that he does not feel capable of accepting this responsibility.
A central minister, who has also served as a chief minister, stated that although he is not prepared to assume the role of party president due to his age, he would be willing to take on the responsibility if there is consensus regarding his candidacy. A general proposal has also emerged from the organisation, suggesting that the new national president should be around 60 years of age.
Extensive feedback has been gathered for the new national president, and opinions have also been solicited for state and district presidents. The BJP aims for the election of the national president to be unanimous, ensuring that the organisation can function robustly. In the same vein, the BJP has decided to provide opportunities to youth in the election of mandal presidents. Efforts are being made within the party to ensure that the age of the new mandal president is below 40 years.
As a result, the BJP has predominantly provided opportunities to youth across the nearly 15,000 mandals in the country. Similarly, in the elections for district and state presidents, the party has ensured candidates have been active members of the BJP for at least ten years. This approach is backed by the recent experiences of the BJP, as assigning significant responsibilities within the organisation to leaders coming from other parties has led to dissatisfaction among BJP workers. However, some exceptions have also been observed.