Delhi / BJP party polls from Sept, chief to be elected by 2020: BJP

NEW DELHI: With the extension of the ongoing membership drive, elections for the post of the BJP president and state unit chiefs will now be held in December. The BJP’s national council would also now be constituted by December to facilitate organisational polls at the national level.

The BJP’s election officer and former Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh said that the national council would be constituted by mid December.

“During December 1-15, elections for the state unit chiefs and constitution of the national council would be held,” the schedule of the organisational elections prepared by Singh stated. Incidentally, the members of the national council are also elected by each state. 

Former Union Minister J P Nadda was appointed the working president of the party to allow the party to complete organisational elections in districts, states and national levels.

BJP chief Amit Shah will hold on to his organisational responsibility till the new party chief is elected. 

With the new party chief now only to be elected in the latter parts of December, Shah would guide the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jharkhand, Haryana, Maharashtra. Delhi is likely to go to the polls early this year, while there’s no clarity yet on holding of Assembly polls for Jammu and Kashmir.    

Earlier, the BJP had designated the membership drive to conclude on August 11.

The BJP leadership extended the drive till August 20 after a number of state units sought additional time to conclude the campaign.

Former MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is heading the committee on membership campaign.