The Uttarakhand unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to re-elect its sitting state president, Mahendra Bhatt, for another term, marking the first time in the party’s 25-year organisational history in the state that a president will serve two consecutive terms.
The party began its much-awaited internal election process on Monday. Bhatt, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, was the only candidate to file his nomination within the stipulated time frame set by the election officials.
His re-election is now a mere formality, as no other leader submitted nomination papers during the allotted window from 10 AM to 12 noon.
Prominent state leaders who proposed Bhatt’s candidature include Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Lok Sabha MP Anil Baluni, Union Minister Ajay Tamta, Tehri MP Mala Rajyalakshmi Shah, Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt, and former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.
State election officer and MLA Khajan Das stated, “Only Mahendra Bhatt’s nomination was received for the post of state president. The result will be formally announced on Tuesday during the State Council meeting by central observer and Union Minister Harsh Malhotra. The council members will give their formal approval during the session.”
Das also informed that nominations for electing BJP’s National Council members from Uttarakhand were held on June 30.
Leaders who filed their nominations include Cabinet Minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Union Minister Ajay Tamta, former Chief Ministers Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tirath Singh Rawat, MPs Ajay Bhatt, Mala Rajyalakshmi Shah, and Rajya Sabha MP Kalpana Saini.
Since only one nomination was received, Mahendra Bhatt is all set to be elected unopposed during the State BJP Council meeting on Tuesday.
“Bhatt has proven his leadership. Under his stewardship, the BJP returned to power in the 2022 Assembly elections, and in 2024, the party won all five Lok Sabha seats in the state for the second consecutive time. The central leadership has found him most suitable to lead the state unit again,” said the party’s state media in-charge and senior spokesperson.