BJP sets in motion process to elect new party chief

New Delhi: BJP kicked off the process to elect its new chief on Tuesday with incumbent J P Nadda announcing the appointment of a national returning officer and co-returning officers to conduct the organisational elections .

The drill will enter its last lap in Dec or early next year once organisational polls in at least half the states are over after conclusion of the party's nationwide membership drive . Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the membership drive on Sept 2.

The BJP president has a three-year term and is generally elected by consensus. Nadda has been at the helm since January 2020 and his three-year term was extended to allow the process to elect his replacement.

The party has appointed its OBC Morcha chief K Laxman as the returning officer for the nationwide organisational elections, which will culminate in the election of the party's new national president.

BJP vice-president Rekha Verma, Puri Lok Sabha MP Sambit Patra and Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand Naresh Bansal have been appointed co-returning officers. Laxman is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh.