Hyderabad: The BJP high command is likely to announce a new Telangana unit president in the second week of July, with party sources indicating that preparations are underway to finalise the selection amid upcoming local body elections.
Contenders being discussed within party ranks include Arvind Dharmapuri, Etela Rajender, Raghunandan Rao, and D.K. Aruna.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to visit Nizamabad on June 29. On the same day, he may hold a closed-door meeting with senior state leaders to narrow down the list of potential names, sources said. There is speculation that both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh chiefs could be finalised during this round.
The BJP’s organisational election process for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is already underway. Nominations for the state president posts will be completed by the end of June, with announcements scheduled after July 1.
Shobha Karandlaje has been appointed as the returning officer for Telangana, while P.C. Mohan is overseeing the Andhra Pradesh process.
BJP has already appointed state chiefs in 14 other states. For states like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, the high command is reportedly consulting senior leaders before finalising names.
With the delay in Telangana’s leadership decision drawing criticism internally, several BJP functionaries believe an early appointment could help the party in the upcoming Jubilee Hills bypoll and local body elections.
As part of the nationwide organisational elections, BJP national returning officer Dr. K. Laxman on Friday issued fresh appointments for three more states. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has been named the election officer for Maharashtra, Harsh Malhotra for Uttarakhand, and MP Ravi Shankar Prasad for West Bengal.