Smile Back On Faces As Bjp Leadership Drops Poll Order
THE BHARATIYA Janata Party (BJP) central leadership has reversed its earlier decision of barring its State unit chiefs from seeking a second term in the forthcoming organisational elections.
The party leadership has now decided that those holding the post of president at all levels of the organisational hierarchy and have till now served only one term in office can seek re-election to the post in the party polls.
This is a complete turnaround to the party leadership's stand earlier. Last month in a confidential circular, BJP national vice president K Jana Krishnamurthi had directed that no State unit chief would be eligible to contest for a second term in the party polls.
The only exception made was for those who had been appointed State presidents on ad hoc basis as the then unit chief had been inducted into the council of Ministers.
Mr Krishnamurthi had then specified that this was being ordered as under the changes made in the party constitution, which provided for a single three-year term for party presidents at all levels.
The circular had implied that should the present State presidents be permitted a second term, he would then have at a stretch five years (two years of past term and three years of the second term) in office, which went against the spirit of the party constitution amendment.
The central party directive had led to much opposition among party rankers.
It was pointed out to the party leadership that constitution amendments are always prospective and not retrospective.
A senior party leader stated that even if one were to go by upholding the spirit of the constitution then the amendment provides for a three-year term for the State unit chief.
Those presidents who were serving their first term would then have been presidents for just two years. Hence they would not have got a full three years in office.
Party sources stated that bowing down to pressure from party ranks the BJP central leadership retracted on its earlier decision and decided to let the presidents seek a second term in office provided that they had completed only one term in their present positions.
The new development has spelt considerable cheer among the party chiefs. In Delhi, BJP state chief Mange Ram Garg is to complete his first term in office. Following Mr Krishnamurthi's directive it had become a near certainty that there would be a change of guard at the top Delhi level.
Under the new change, Mr Garg would be eligible for a second term as party Delhi unit president. The BJP has party units in 28 States including the Union Territories. BJP organisational elections up to the State unit chiefs is expected to be completed by first week May.