BJP office-bearers to meet on Aug 17 as party readies to launch membership drive

New Delhi: The BJP's national office-bearers are expected to meet on August 17 to finalise the launch of the party's membership drive, which will culminate with the election of a new party president.

Besides those holding an office in the BJP's organisational team at the national level, the meeting will also be attended by sate party presidents and general secretaries in charge of the party's organisation in different states.

There has long been a buzz that the ruling party may appoint a 'working president' before a president is formally elected as the membership drive required to be completed for the election to take place may stretch over six months.

With incumbent president J P Nadda joining the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government as a Cabinet minister, he is expected to be replaced as per the party's convention of 'one person one post'.

However, unlike 2019, when Nadda had emerged as the obvious successor to Home Minister Amit Shah at the helm of the party after he did not join the Modi 2.0 government, there is no automatic alternative visible this time.

Nadda was first appointed as working president in June 2019 before he was formally elected as president in January 2020. BJP's presidents have traditionally been elected with consensus.

As the BJP prepares for organisational polls, which cover the formation of new committees at booths, mandals, districts and states before the chosen delegates meet to elect its national president, the party has engaged in wide consultation with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Senior BJP leaders, including Shah and Nadda, besides Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had met RSS functionaries, including its second-in-command and general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, on Sunday.

Sources said the meeting at Singh's residence discussed the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh and the measures which can be taken to help them but added that the issues like the upcoming coordination meet of the Hindutva organisation in Kerala and political issues also figured.

BJP and RSS functionaries have engaged in talks in several states following the party's underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha polls as it lost majority and indications emerged of the Hindutva organisation's reservations with the party's poll tactics.

The RSS, considered the ideological progenitor of the BJP, has generally had an important role in the choice for the party's president.