According to the organizational schedule of the poll released by BJP National Officer K. Laxman, the nomination for the party chief election can be filed on January 19, 2026 between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set the stage for the election of its current national working president Nitin Nabin as party president on Friday (January 16, 2026) and has announced a plan to “elect” the party chief.
The BJP said nominations for the post will be filed on January 19 and the name of the new chief will be announced the next day.
Also read | Nitin Nabin will be formally elected BJP president on January 20
Nomination for the party chief election can be filed between 2 pm and 4 pm on January 19 and withdrawn between 5 pm and 6 pm the same day, said the organizational chart of the poll released by BJP national officer and Rajya Sabha member K. Laxman.
A second candidate is unlikely to file a nomination.
Elections will be held “if necessary” on January 20 and the official announcement of the name of the new national president will be made on the same day, Mr. Laxman said.
The entire voting process will be held at the party headquarters in Delhi. Sources confirmed that three sets of nomination papers for Mr Nabin will be filed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah as proposers.
A public event will be held at the party headquarters on January 20, where Prime Minister Modi is expected to be present.
Mr Nabin will replace Health Minister JP Nadda as BJP National President. BJP presidents have a term of three years. In Mr Nadda’s case, it was extended by a year in 2023 to ensure organizational continuity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The election process started in late 2023 when mandal, district and state level units elected their presidents and office bearers. In order for the national president to be elected, at least 50% of the state units had to be established.
After the Lok Sabha polls, the process took some time and on December 14, Mr. Nabin was named the National Working President and approved by the party’s Parliamentary Committee. It was a signal that he would be the only future presidential candidate.
Published – 16 Jan 2026 12:50 IST
