Betul MLA Hemant Khandelwal has emerged as the frontrunner to become the next Madhya Pradesh BJP president, marking the end of V D Sharma’s record five-and-a-half-year tenure.Khandelwal is the only leader to have filed a nomination form, according to party sources, and his name is expected to be announced on Wednesday. The scheduled leadership change comes amid the party’s strategic recalibration after consecutive electoral victories and brewing tensions in the state unit.Sharma, who steered the party through crucial victories in the 2023 Assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, leaves Khandelwal big shoes to fill. While credited with organisational discipline and implementing Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s strategic vision during the elections, his tenure concluded amid visible fissures within the party ranks, with senior leaders increasingly airing grievances in public forums.Khandelwal’s political journey began on a note of tragedy in 2008 following the death of his father Vijay Kumar Khandelwal who was the BJP MP from Betul.Khandelwal seamlessly transitioned from inheriting his father’s parliamentary seat in a bypoll to carving his own political identity. He would eventually serve as an MP from Betul from 2007 to 2009, and then the party’s Betul district president from 2010 to 2013. In 2013, he was elected the MLA from Betul but lost the seat to the Congress five years later. He won it back in the 2023 elections.Khandelwal’s RSS background and low profile gradually shaped the consensus on him taking over the party’s reins from Sharma. He is also said to enjoy the support of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and senior Cabinet ministers.“He has a low profile and works very hard. Traditionally, the BJP has appointed MPs or Rajya Sabha members as state presidents in Madhya Pradesh. Khandelwal’s selection as a sitting MLA breaks this pattern, helping strengthen coordination between the party organisation and the legislative wing. With both the Chief Minister and the state president in the Assembly, the party’s legislative management could become more cohesive,” said a senior BJP leader.Story continues below this adHis immediate challenge involves managing diverse personalities and ambitions in the state unit. “There is a series of leaders who have been vying for the post. Furthermore, there have been grievances by leaders which end up getting aired in public. He is seen as a strong candidate as there is a consensus for Khandelwal,” said a BJP leader.Khandelwal’s three-year term coincides with a period of relative electoral calm, with no major state or national elections on the horizon. “This provides him with an opportunity to focus on organisational strengthening rather than immediate electoral pressures, allowing for long-term, party-building initiatives,” said the leader.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Bharatiya Janata PartyMadhya Pradesh