Amit Shah set to start new term today

BJP president Amit Shah is all set to start a fresh term from Sunday, when the party will name its next president.

A confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Shah is tipped to be elected unopposed to the top party post as per the past conventions.

Mr Shah completed Rajnath Singh’s term, who was nominated as the BJP chief in 2013 but was later accommodated in Mr Modi’s Cabinet.

Mr Modi is hosting a dinner for Mr Shah and his team, including vice presidents, general secretaries and secretaries on Saturday night.

Almost all BJP chief ministers, besides a number of Union ministers, are likely to be present at the BJP headquarters when Mr Shah will file his nomination papers and is expected to declared as the party president.

Large-scale preparations are on at the party headquarters, which is also expecting hundreds of party cadre and workers to wish the next chief.

Under Mr Shah’s stewardship, BJP scaled new heights by coming to power in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir but also faced setbacks in the Delhi and Bihar Assembly elections, triggering some rumblings in the party.

The party also became the “world’s largest political outfit” when more than 10 crore members joined it during its nation-wide membership drive.

However, the new party president will have to face crucial elections, among other challenges including strengthening the organisation in the south and northeast.

Coming Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu will be a major challenge along with Uttar Pradesh, where elections are scheduled in 2017. BJP’s electoral graph is on a decline since its stunning performance in 2014 general elections.