New Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday formally initiated the process to elect its new national president, with senior leaders submitting nomination papers on behalf of working president Nitin Nabin for the top post.

A set of nomination papers was handed over to election Returning Officer K Laxman by BJP president J P Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The submission took place in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, and senior leaders Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupendra Yadav and Kiren Rijiju.

Later in the day, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, along with other state leaders, submitted another set of nomination papers backing Nabin, who was appointed BJP’s working president last month.

Chief Ministers Yogi Adityanath, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Nayab Singh Saini and Pramod Sawant were also present during the filing of nominations. Leaders from several states, including Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam and Jharkhand, extended their support by submitting papers in his favour.

The 45-year-old leader is expected to be elected unopposed as the BJP’s 12th national president, with top party leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, backing his candidature.

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The BJP national president is elected by an electoral college consisting of members from the party’s national and state councils, under the supervision of the national returning officer. As per the party constitution, a candidate must have completed four terms as an active member and at least 15 years of party membership, with nominations supported by representatives from a minimum of five states.