BJP city unit to get new chief on January 17

After a gap of nearly 10 years, the Chandigarh state unit of BJP is all set to get a new president on January 17. Nominations for the party president post will be

After a gap of nearly 10 years, the Chandigarh state unit of BJP is all set to get a new president on January 17. Nominations for the party president post will be filled on January 16 and elections will be held the next day.

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Confirming the schedule of the elections for the post, organisational secretary Dinesh Kumar said, “The national party leadership has decided to hold elections on January 17 and nominations papers could be filled a day before.”

However, with the party high command already having finalised the name for the post of president, the election process is a mere formality. In fact, the party is expected to announce the decision of the national leadership before the day of nomination. “The party will announce the consensus candidate for the post in a couple of days from today. The person chosen will file nomination papers and complete the election process,” Kumar added.

With Sanjay Tandon completing three consecutive terms as state party president, this is the first time in a decade that the party’s local unit is witnessing an intense lobbying for the post.

Ridden with internal fissures, various factions of the local unit have their own choice of candidates. However, to quell any chance of rebellion in the party for the president’s post, the party high command had sent former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the last week of December, who held one-on-one consultations with core committee members, former party presidents and other senior leaders.

“After a discussion, five names – Arun Sood, Davesh Moudgil, Ramveer Bhatti, Satinder Singh and Chander Shekhar were put forward to the high command,” said Kumar.

Sood, a former mayor and Tandon loyalist, has come out as front-runner for the post after most local leaders, including MP Kirron Kher, supported his name during a consultation with Chauhan.

The party high command, though, is not bound by the list of names submitted. “It can very well choose someone else. The final decision rests with the party’s central leadership, who gets feedback from several channels,” Kumar added.