Eye on 2019 polls, BJP extends Shah's tenure

New Delhi: After a gap of a year, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) two-day National Executive meeting commenced here on Saturday, where the party's highest decision-making body decided not to hold any organisational polls, including that for the party president's post, till the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, it is clear now that the party will go for the general elections under the leadership of its incumbent chief, Amit Shah.

Shah's tenure was scheduled to end in January 2019. He had replaced Rajnath Singh in August 2014 after Singh joined the Narendra Modi Cabinet as Home Minister. Moreover, Shah got his first full three-year term in January 2016.

However, according to the saffron party's constitution, a person can get two full three-year terms as party president. But with the aim of retaining the throne for the second term a bigger mandate, the BJP seems to be avoiding a new experiment with its leadership ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the coming year.

The party could form the government in 16 states after it formed the government at the Centre in 2014, notably in Haryana, Assam, Tripura, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir and other important states under Shah's leadership. He is also known as 'Chanakya' for his election strategy.

On the first day of the National Executive meeting, the party launched its new slogan, 'Bharat Mata Aur Kamal Nishan' and vowed to work to get a full majority in the coming LS elections. Party leaders will coordinate with booth-level workers. Even ministers will go to two and three-tier

cities to hold meetings and reach out to the masses with the Government's achievement in five years. See P4