Despite the BJP's emphasis on consensus, there are states where there is dissent over the choice, including Rajasthan, Karnataka and Haryana. (Express File Photo)With 12 state presidents appointed, the BJP seems to be on course to choose its new national chief, albeit with a delay. “I expect the presidential elections to take at least another month,” said a party leader, pointing out that given the present pace at which organisational polls are being held, that much time may be needed.According to the BJP constitution, the party needs to have at least half its state presidents in place – or, 18 in all – to move on to picking its national president. Before that, elections are held for booth, mandal, and district levels. Sources said the party had expected to be done with choosing state presidents by January 15.While in principle, these are all “elected” posts, the convention is to have a consensus for presidents at all levels – including the post of BJP national chief.The BJP leaders The Indian Express spoke to across states attributed the delay largely to the recently concluded Delhi polls. A BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh said the party focused all its energies on Delhi. “One leader who has managed up to six-seven Assembly seats in our state and in Uttar Pradesh, was given the charge of only one Assembly seat in Delhi. In another constituency, two MPs managed it. The focus of the party on Delhi was unprecedented and that has led to a delay in the organisational elections,” the leader, who did not want to be named, said. However, a section of the leaders pointed out that things have not accelerated even after the party’s victory in Delhi. This has led to some speculation about the lack of a consensus on the new national president. “Sometimes, a train stops some distance from the railway station because preparedness at the station is not complete. The train then waits for the signal. Likewise, we are also waiting for the signal,” quipped a BJP leader from Jharkhand.Don't miss | BJP sweeps Delhi: Here are 5 reasons whyA party leader in Jharkhand said booth-level elections were complete in the state but the green signal for the mandal polls had not yet been received. In neighbouring Bihar, district-level polls are almost complete.In Odisha, the situation is similar, with the party setting a January 29 deadline to complete booth- and mandal-level polls. However, there has been no word from the central leadership since then. “Between January 23 and 29, we worked almost round-the-clock to meet the deadline. We have finished almost all the district elections. But after January 29, there was no pressure from the central leadership and we are sitting idle… Even after the appointment of the Delhi CM, there is no shor sharaba (activity),” said a BJP leader from the state.A leader in Uttar Pradesh said district-level organisational polls are currently ongoing in the state. “The clamour for becoming a mandal president was such that one would have thought it was an Assembly election. The clamour surrounding a district president is akin to a Lok Sabha election,” according to the leader.Story continues below this adAlso Read | As J P Nadda’s tenure nears its end, what challenges await the next BJP president?Spelling out the challenges, the leader added that sometimes the names picked by the district-level election officers are not agreeable to the state or the central leadership. “Sometimes some name they (the central leadership) had in mind does not even feature in the list,” the leader said.Even in Madhya Pradesh, where booth, mandal and district-level polls are complete, there is no movement from the party towards “electing” the new state chief with the leadership expecting Union minister and BJP Madhya Pradesh election prabhari Dharmendra Pradhan to arrive and convey the central leadership’s pick.Despite the emphasis on consensus, there are states where there is dissent over the choice, including Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Haryana. While Bijapur City MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal has been breathing fire against Karnataka BJP chief B Y Vijayendra, Haryana Minister and Ambala Cantt MLA Anil Vij has been critical of state party chief Mohan Lal Badoli and CM Nayab Singh Saini. In Rajasthan, where the BJP announced recently that it was retaining Madan Rathore as its state chief, minister and Sawai Madhopur MLA Kirodi Lal Meena has been up in arms against the party, alleging his own government had snooped on him.Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd