Amit Shah elected unopposed, to head BJP for second term

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and virtually the entire top party brass, including a number of Union ministers and chief ministers, proposed his name during the nomination process in which no other leader joined the fray. 

Shah’s unanimous election for a three-year term is in line with the party’s tradition of choosing its president with a consensus, an outcome virtually guaranteed after Modi and RSS, the party’s ideological mentor which has always had a say in the matter, threw their weight behind his continuance. Modi, who was not present during the exercise due to official work, will attend the parliamentary board meet, likely on Jan 28, to welcome Shah in his new innings. 

Altogether, 17 nominations were filed proposing 51-yearold Shah’s name during the three-hour exercise, Party Vice President Avinash Rai Khanna said as he announced his unopposed election. The election of Shah was merely a formality after it became clear that Modi and other party bigwigs, besides RSS, which has always had a say in the nomination for the top job, preferred him. This will be the first full three-year term for the Gujarat leader, as he had taken over as the party chief in May 2014 after his predecessor Rajnath Singh joined the government. 

Amit Shah to visit residences of LK Advani, Vajpayee and Murli Manohar Joshi to seek their “blessings” following his election as BJP Chief, says party. Advani and Joshi were not present at the party headquarters in Delhi on Sunday.