BJP to contest Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand Assembly elections as Amit Shah its chief

After BJP president Amit Shah called a meeting of the party's national office-bearers at 11 am on Thursday, reports surfacing that Shah will remain the party chief till Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand Assembly elections.

All BJP organisational heavy hitters including state presidents, organisation mantris and state in-charges was invited for the meeting. The objective of the meeting is believed to be the election of new party post holders within the BJP. The meeting will be held to start the process of organisational elections which are due soon. The question doing the rounds is whether Amit Shah will demit office and hand over charge to one of two hopefuls - J.P. Nadda or Bhupendra Yadav.

Earlier the NDTV report had suggested that the party is likely to ask Shah to continue as party president due to crucial state elections scheduled in last months of this year and early next year. According to the BJP’s organisational rules, party president’s work duration is fixed for three years. Shah’s term ended this year but was asked to continue due to General Elections.

Apart from the state elections, the BJP has yet to start the process of looking for new party chief. The buzz grew strong that Shah will leave the party post after he was made the Home minister in Modi government. Shah has replaced incumbent Rajnath Singh who has moved to Defence Ministry. 

This is the first time Shah will be in the Modi government at the Centre. He has been the Home minister in Gujarat when Modi was the state chief minister. 

There are speculations that JP Nadda will be appointed as new BJP chief. Some other names are also being talked about for the post including Bhupender Yadav.

Widely credited for BJP's spectacular victory in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, Shah took oath on Thursday along with 57 other ministers.

Born into an affluent Gujarati family in Mumbai in 1964, the BJP chief lived and studied in his paternal village Maansa in Gujarat until the age of 16. Upon completion of his school education, his family shifted to Ahmedabad. Shah became an active member of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) here.

A few years later, Shah joined the BJP his first assignment was that of a poll agent at Ahmedabad's Naranpura ward followed by secretaryship of the Naranpura ward.

He later managed the poll campaigns of party veteran LK Advani in Ahmedabad and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Gandhinagar, he earned himself the reputation of an astute election manager.

Recognising his commitment and abilities, the BJP made Shah the President of the party in 2014. In this year's Lok Sabha elections, he won the Gandhinagar seat by a margin of 5.57 lakh votes against his nearest Congress rival C.J. Chavda.