Who will be the next BJP national president? An announcement is expected soon

New Delhi: The new president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to be announced very soon. The current president, J.P. Nadda, has already completed his term and has been extended several times. It is possible that the announcement will be made before December 15, 2025. It is being said that the decision will be made before the beginning of Kharmas. Hinduism holds that auspicious activities are not performed during Kharmas, so it is expected that the name will be revealed within ten days.

On December 3, a meeting was held in Parliament House between PM Modi, Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda, and Organization General Secretary B.L. Santosh. It is reported that the new president, the UP unit chief, and the reshuffle of the Union Cabinet were discussed in this meeting. In this connection, a meeting was also held with Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav, Manohar Lal Khattar, and others at Rajnath Singh’s residence on December 1. Following this, the belief grew stronger that one of these individuals could be crowned president. However, this is all speculation. There’s no doubt that the names discussed within the BJP never win the position.

The question is, the nature of decisions being made within the BJP these days suggests a wildcard entry into the presidential race. Sameer Chaugankar, a senior journalist who has covered the RSS and the BJP, says that both Narendra Modi in the BJP and Mohan Bhagwat in the RSS often make surprising decisions. The more speculation there is, the greater the likelihood that the decision will favor someone outside the fold. The appointment of Nitin Gadkari as president in 2009 is an example of Mohan Bhagwat’s decision. Both Mohan Bhagwat and Modi often don’t rely on apparent merit or logic. They prefer consensus over elections, and this consensus often takes a long time to reach.

Just as CP Radhakrishnan’s name emerged as a separate candidate for the Vice Presidential election, an unexpected, low-profile leader could also emerge as the candidate for the BJP’s National President. However, judging by the deliberations between RSS and BJP leaders, it appears that this time there will be no wild card entry. Political speculation suggests that the RSS’s opinion will be crucial in deciding who will be elected President. For some time, it has seemed that the BJP would have a new National President. But one reason or another keeps delaying this appointment. Clearly, choosing the leader of a party that has been in power for the past decade is not easy. It must meet numerous criteria. The BJP also needs to prepare for the future.

Chaugankar says that the BJP is stuck on the issue of choosing a national president, and one reason for this could be that the RSS wants its own president this time around. He should not only be a charismatic campaigner but also a disciplined organizer and a loyal Hindutva leader with deep roots in the family ecosystem. He should be an insider, someone who can boldly lead the party into the post-Narendra Modi era.

Clearly, if such a person emerges, it will be a dynamic individual. The RSS and BJP will find a leader who is experienced and has a strong influence within both organizations. Whoever becomes the new president faces significant challenges. To overcome these challenges, he or she must have the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the trust of the RSS.

Chaugankar says that Modi is here now, will remain, and no one knows for how long. However, the RSS has begun preparing for the new post-Modi era. The next BJP president will be the one who acts as a bridge between Modi and the RSS. He or she will need to combine the RSS’s trust, Modi’s approval, and the respect of both BJP and RSS workers. The new president will also need to restore ideological depth to the party, curb factionalism, and manage leadership transitions both within and outside Modi’s shadow.

If we calculate the factors such as journalists close to the BJP, internal politics within the BJP, and equal popularity within the RSS and the BJP, the leaders whose names appear to be leading the race are Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dharmendra Pradhan. Bhupendra Yadav is also in the fray. Besides, many other names like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vinod Tawde, and C.R. Patil are also being discussed. A new name emerges every day.

Chaugankar says that a senior RSS leader told him in a conversation, “We are not just choosing the party president; we are deciding who will hold the post of the future BJP after Modi and what it will look like. The RSS certainly has the ideological direction, but the future course of action depends on who will be entrusted with this blueprint.”

Clearly, the winner of this race will be the one agreed upon by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP leadership. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari recently said in a post that Dharmendra Pradhan was involved in the successful conduct of the Bihar elections, which demonstrates his organizational capabilities. Many journalists have also placed Bhupendra Yadav in the top race. Let’s see which of these three names seems most viable for the BJP?

Maurya is the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He was the state president of the state during the 2017 UP Assembly elections. Under his leadership, the BJP achieved a landslide victory in UP. He was a contender for the CM post, but Yogi Adityanath was appointed CM in his place. Clearly, he has been hoping for a higher position since then. His closeness to Home Minister Amit Shah is well known, and Shah has publicly declared him his friend. Recently, Maurya was sent on a delegation to Russia, given responsibility for the Bihar elections, and then entrusted with the responsibility of selecting the legislative party leader, reflecting his growing importance.

Above all, he is a necessity for the BJP. The BJP’s biggest task in the coming times is to win the UP Assembly elections in 2027. If the BJP loses UP, the 2029 general elections will obviously become difficult. The way the BJP is steadily losing its influence in Uttar Pradesh suggests that Keshav Prasad Maurya may be crowned the leader. Maurya’s status as an OBC leader is working in his favor. If anyone can challenge Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, it could be Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Maurya has long been active with the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). He played a key role in the Ram Mandir movement. This association makes him a “cadre man,” which enhances his credibility at the organizational level.

Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan are also in the race to become BJP president. Yadav is considered close to Amit Shah and has deep experience in the party’s organizational structure. His OBC Yadav background from Rajasthan symbolizes social balance, which could influence the Yadav vote in states like UP and Bihar.

His skills as a regional election manager are proven; he contributed to BJP victories in Delhi and other states. He enjoys the trust of both the RSS and the party. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is also a strong contender for the BJP president’s post, as the party has witnessed his organizational abilities and election management skills not once but many times. Most recently, he was the foundation of the party’s victory in the Bihar Assembly elections. Pradhan, who hails from Odisha and comes from an OBC background, will strengthen the party in eastern India, where BJP expansion is crucial. Being a confidant of Modi and Shah, along with the RSS, his selection will be consensus-based.