Hyderabad, June 29 (IANS) The BJP in Telangana on Sunday set in motion the process for electing its new state president.

The party issued a notification for the election of a new state unit chief. Nominations can be filed on Monday (June 30) from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., while they can be withdrawn from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. the same day.

Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje will serve as the returning officer. She will arrive in Hyderabad on June 30 to oversee the election process.

The new state BJP president is likely to be elected on July 1. The party’s central leadership is likely to send the name of its choice, and the election is expected to be unopposed.

Several top leaders are likely to file nominations to succeed the current president and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.

Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay, who was removed as the state BJP president before the 2023 Assembly elections, is likely to enter the fray. MPs Arvind Dharmapuri and Eatala Rajender, and former MLC N. Ramchander Rao are also seen as aspirants.

Kishan Reddy was appointed state BJP President ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, replacing Bandi Sanjay. He led the party in the Assembly elections and in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

While the BJP could win just eight seats in the 119-member Assembly, it improved its performance in the Lok Sabha polls to double the tally of seats to eight.

After the BJP retained power at the Centre, Kishan Reddy was re-inducted into the Cabinet. A change in the state leadership has been on the cards for several months.

As the current leadership of the party is from the upper caste, the saffron party is reported to be keen to name a leader from Backward Classes as the new state president.

The election of a new state president comes ahead of elections to local bodies.

–IANS

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