In an unprecedented move in the history of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the names of veteran leaders and founding members, Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, will be absent from the voter list for the party's presidential elections. The BJP has released the schedule for its national president elections, which will involve a total of 5708 electors from across the nation. If required, the polling will take place on January 20.
The BJP traditionally elects its national president through consensus. This election is expected to be a formality with Nitin Navin likely to be chosen as the national president. However, one notable aspect of this election, from both a political and organizational viewpoint, is the exclusion of Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi from the electoral college for the first time since the party's founding in 1980.
National President Election Schedule Announced, 5708 Voters to Decide
According to the BJP constitution, organizational elections precede the national president race. Presidents are first elected at the booth level, followed by mandal, district, and then state elections. Only after completing these phases is the electoral college for the national president's election formed, consisting of members from the national council and provincial councils.
Currently, under the BJP's organizational festival, state units across the country are undergoing organizational elections. According to the party's constitution, the national president election can occur only after completing organizational elections in at least fifty percent of the states, a condition now met. However, organizational elections remain pending in some states, including Karnataka, Haryana, Tripura, and Delhi.
BJP’s Tradition Calls for a Consensus Election
Lal Krishna Advani, long-serving as a parliamentarian from Gandhinagar, was traditionally elected to the national council from Gujarat. He became a national council member from Delhi in 2021. Similarly, Murli Manohar Joshi, during his tenure as an MP from Kanpur, was a national council member from Uttar Pradesh. Post his parliamentary term, he too was elected from Delhi.
This time, the scenario is different. Elections for the Delhi state organization remain incomplete, preventing the election of the national council members from Delhi. Since both Advani and Joshi are linked to the Delhi council, they couldn't participate in the national president's electoral college.
For the First Time, Advani and Joshi Not Part of the Electoral College
It is notable that both Advani and Joshi have been included in the party's guiding committee, serving as mentors for the organization, though they won't formally participate in this electoral process. This change related to the BJP's presidential elections is viewed as a significant turning point in the party's organizational structure.
