Nadda appoints returning officers for BJP’s internal polls

BJP prepares for internal polls to elect new president, with J.P. Nadda appointing officers; membership drive completed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) took another step to move along the process for its internal polls to elect a new national president for the party, with the incumbent chief, J.P. Nadda, appointing MP K. Laxman as the national returning officer and Naresh Bansal, Sambit Patra, both MPs, and national vice-president Rekha Verma as the co-officers for the polls.

Mr. Nadda’s tenure has ended, and he is continuing in the post till a new president is elected.

The first step in the election process was the launch of a membership drive. All leaders, workers as well as lay members had to renew or gain fresh membership through various means, including making a missed call to a specified number or enrolling via various party leaders and workers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the drive on September 3 by being the first to renew his membership of the party by giving a missed call. The drive was conducted in two phases – from September 2 to 5 and October 1 to 15.

After the membership drive is over, elections will be held at the block, district, and State levels, finally ending with the election of the national president by year-end.

The BJP has never had an actual challenger to an accepted candidate, who is determined through consultation within the party leadership and its ideological mothership, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). This time too, one name is expected to be put forward, with the State units voicing their support for the same candidate.